Green Houseplants

If one has not been educated properly on plant identification, one can only compare from pictures of flowers, leaves, fruits, etc...but then some plants look the same, so it is not easy to get the correct identification at times. This is why perhaps I prefer the general names or common names. I find some of the common names actually very apt for the plant. It just shows how people can describe the plant so well, by comparing it to something else. For example each time I see the "Foxtail Palm", I can't help agreeing how much the leaves as they sway in the breeze look exactly like the tail of a fox!  Also there is the bottle brush plant - the flowers look exactly like a bottle brush!

So when it comes to my green houseplants I am all muddled as to what are their correct names. Well, they must stand in the category of either the Dieffenbachia or  Alagaonema or perhaps some other names? Anyway you see for yourself and test if you can recognize them.  Here goes .

Plant No 1 : Some sort of prayer plant? The leaves folds/curled  as in prayers at night . Unfortunately it did not look like any of those photos on prayer plant. Yes, it does have those deep veins. It is sensitive to direct sunlight, thrives better in the shade, and I need to keep it moist. The leaves are not soft, but crisp, so I really doubt it belongs to the prayer plant group. So I guess I will keep searching.

Plant No 2 : I think this is a  Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane).  Its leaves are so colorful and nice, it could well be a alagoanema as well.

Plant No 3 : The man who sold me this plant said its name is "A thousand Green" or "Evergreen". I like the intense green color with the many  white dotted patterns on the leaves. The man sold it to me for RM3. He was more interested in selling his repacked fertilizers and  fresh flowers.   That is really cheap, of course. I only have to skip a bowl of my favourite asam laksa...haha! Anyway I am pretty sure this plant belongs to the Alagoanema family.

Plant No 4 :  Now this plant  is an Alagoanema as the light pink colors are distinct like the Indonesian variety. Did you hear about the story of Alagoanema or commonly the Lucky Plant? One man apparently  saw some digits from the patterns on the leaves after a night of rainfall and decided to buy the numbers. Guess what  -  he struck  first prize! Similar to that Fish Lohan that became some sort of a fad  some years back? Everyone wanted to buy a lohan  in order to predict numbers to buy! Even my mother was caught, but she did enjoy taking care of her pet fish as well.  Believe it or not?....Nay, I do not! I planted  this attractive plant on the ground under some shade because some pests  kept attacking its roots when it was potted. So it hardly grew. Perhaps I had kept the soil too wet or something. Now it is thriving.  This plant positively hates direct sunlight. The lady who sold me this plant told me it loves heat and bright sunlight! How gullible I was then....well, I really did not know much about plants then.

Plant No 5 : Now this one is a real beauty, and hopefully if  it resembles the plant (yes, Alagoenema) I saw on the internet photos, it might bear red flowers! The flowers are not striking, but the color is, so well I am looking forward to that day! Meanwhile I enjoy the pleasant light green foliage that is so easy on the eyes.  In fact my husband asked me to plant more of this plants since he seemed to find it pleasing as well.

Well whatever the names of the plants are, just beware that both the Dieffenbachia and Algaonema are both classified as very toxic plants and when handling always wear gloves as otherwise the skin may itch.  And never to let children or pets chewed on the leaves (not that they would, but it pays to be cautious).