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Accession Data:

Remusatia vivipara (Lodd.) Schott

  • Common Name: Hitchhiker Elephant Ear
  • Family: Araceae Juss.
  • Synonym(s): Caladium viviparum Lodd.

  • Country of Origin: Trop. & Subtrop. Old World
  • Habitat: epiphytic in leaf litter traps on large trees

  • Description: Tuberous aroid from which arises leaves and simple upright stems bearing scale- leaves in the axils of which are bulbils covered with hooked cataphylls, which serve to disperse them when mature.

    Tuber depressed globose, 2-4 x 3.5-5 cm; stolons erect, simple, stout; bulbils ellipsoid, 0.5-2.5 mm, stout; bristles to 1.5 mm, stout. Cataphylls 4 or more, brownish, broad, concealing peduncle, ca. 15 x 3 cm. Petiole 19-42 cm, proximal 1/4 sheathing; leaf blade glossy on both sides, pale green abaxially, green adaxially, oblong-ovate or lanceolate, 11-33 x 7-19.5 cm, sinus 1.5-3 cm; intramarginal vein indistinct. Flowering before leaves develop. Peduncle 6-12 cm. Spathe tube green outside, 3-5 x 1.3-2 cm; limb initially erect, later reflexed, yellow inside, obovate, 5.3-11.5 x 2.5-9 cm, narrowed to base, apex acute, apiculate. Spadix: female zone 1.7-2 cm x 7-9 mm, with 3 or 4 whorls of sterile ovaries at apex and 1 or 2 whorls at base; sterile zone 1.1-2.5 cm, slender, tapering distally; male zone yellowish, clavate, cylindric, 1.5-2.2 cm x 4-7 mm. Fl. Apr-Sep. 2n = 28, 42.3

  • Uses: The tubers are poisonous. They are used externally to treat mastitis, traumatic injuries, abscesses, and swellings.3
  • Culture: Keep from freezing, but give a dry dormancy in the winter months. Will grow potted, but in its natural state is epiphytic in tree branch detritus.
  • USDA Zone: 7b-11

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 200000044
  • Source: Brian Williams
  • Accession Date: 07-07-2000
  • Bench: 1204 - AUS:North Bench E
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 3 confirmed on 02-26-2025
  • Restrictions:
    • Poisonous Plant Parts - Not for Human Consumption

Classification:

  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Liliopsida
  • SubClass: monocots
  • Order: Alismatales
  • SubOrder:
  • Family: Araceae
  • SubFamily: Aroideae
  • Tribe: Colocasieae
  • SubTribe:

Flowering Data:

This accession has been observed in bloom on:
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025

References (internal):

  • EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Guinea-Bissau / Guinea / Ivory Coast / Liberia / Nigeria / Sierra Leone / Central African Republic / Cameroon / Zaire / Ethiopia / Socotra / Tanzania / Zambia / Madagascar / Oman / Yemen / China South-Central / Tibet / Taiwan / Bangladesh / East Himalaya / India / Nepal / Sri Lanka / Laos / Myanmar / Thailand / Vietnam / Jawa / Lesser Sunda Is. / Christmas I. / Northern Territory / Queensland

References (external):

  1. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Sunday, March 10, 2019.
  2. WCSP (2016). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on Sunday, March 10, 2019.
  3. Remusatia vivipara at Flora of China. Last accessed on Sunday, March 10, 2019.
  4. Remusatia vivipara at Wikipedia. Last accessed on Sunday, March 10, 2019.

data regenerated on Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:30:23 -0400 [bcm v4.0]

Images:

No default accession image assigned

Additional images for this accession:

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Current Accessions in the Araceae

Subfamily Aroideae

  • Aglaonema commutatum
  • Aglaonema costatum
  • Aglaonema nitidum

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Anubiadeae

  • Anubias barteri

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Areae

  • Sauromatum venosum
  • Typhonium roxburghii

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Arisaemateae

  • Arisaema candidissimum

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Caladieae

  • Caladium palacioanum
  • Syngonium podophyllum
  • Syngonium wendlandii
  • Xanthosoma sagittifolium

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Colocasieae

  • Alocasia Amazonica
  • Alocasia cuprea
  • Alocasia melo
  • Alocasia Micholitziana
  • Colocasia affinis
  • Colocasia esculenta
  • Colocasia fallax
  • Colocasia gigantea cv. Thailand Giant
  • Remusatia vivipara

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Culcasieae

  • Culcasia striolata W/C

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Dieffenbachieae

  • Dieffenbachia amoena cv.
  • Dieffenbachia oerstedii

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Philodendreae

  • Philodendron angustisectum
  • Philodendron atabapoense
  • Philodendron bipinnatifidum
  • Philodendron brandtianum
  • Philodendron crassinervium
  • Philodendron gloriosum
  • Philodendron grazielae
  • Philodendron hederaceum var. oxycardium
  • Philodendron imbe
  • Philodendron joepii
  • Philodendron ornatum
  • Philodendron panduriforme
  • Philodendron patriciae W/C
  • Philodendron pedatum
  • Philodendron tripartitum
  • Philodendron verrucosum

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Pisteae

  • Pistia stratiotes

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Spathicarpeae

  • Spathicarpa hastifolia
  • Taccarum weddellianum

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Thomsonieae

  • Amorphophallus albus
  • Amorphophallus bulbifer
  • Amorphophallus dunnii
  • Amorphophallus henryi
  • Amorphophallus impressus
  • Amorphophallus konjac
  • Amorphophallus muelleri
  • Amorphophallus paeoniifolius
  • Amorphophallus pygmaeus W/C
  • Amorphophallus titanum
  • Amorphophallus titanum
  • Amorphophallus titanum
  • Amorphophallus titanum
  • Amorphophallus variabilis
  • Amorphophallus yunnanensis
  • Amorphophallus yunnanensis

Subfamily Aroideae
Tribe Zantedeschieae

  • Zantedeschia aethiopica

Subfamily Lasioideae

  • Dracontium spruceanum
  • Lasia spinosa W/C
  • Pycnospatha arietina

Subfamily Lemnoideae

  • Lemna minor
  • Spirodela polyrhiza
  • Spirodela punctata
  • Wolffia columbiana

Subfamily Monsteroideae
Tribe Monstereae

  • Epipremnum falcifolia
  • Epipremnum pinnatum
  • Monstera adansonii
  • Monstera deliciosa
  • Monstera dubia
  • Monstera siltepecana
  • Monstera subpinnata
  • Rhaphidophora cryptantha
  • Rhaphidophora decursiva
  • Rhaphidophora korthalsii
  • Rhaphidophora sulcata
  • Scindapsus pictus
  • Scindapsus pictus 'Exotica'
  • Stenospermation sp.

Subfamily Monsteroideae
Tribe Spathiphylleae

  • Spathiphyllum floribundum
  • Spathiphyllum phryniifolium

Subfamily Pothoideae
Tribe Anthurieae

  • Anthurium andraeanum
  • Anthurium bakeri
  • Anthurium crystallinum
  • Anthurium cubense
  • Anthurium forgetii
  • Anthurium forgetii
  • Anthurium forgetii
  • Anthurium friedrichsthalii
  • Anthurium gracile
  • Anthurium luxurians
  • Anthurium pedatoradiatum
  • Anthurium pendens
  • Anthurium pentaphyllum var. bombacifolium
  • Anthurium podophyllum W/C
  • Anthurium pseudospectabile W/C
  • Anthurium scandens
  • Anthurium schlechtendalii
  • Anthurium veitchii
  • Anthurium villenaorum
  • Anthurium wendlingeri

Subfamily Pothoideae
Tribe Potheae

  • Pothos scandens

Subfamily Zamioculcadoideae

  • Gonatopus boivinii
  • Zamioculcas zamiifolia Raven
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days
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