Anyone growing Amydriums? I love them. There are only 5 plants in the entire genus, which is a group of terrestrial liane aroids. Liane plants are tropical plants that have long stems and a scandent habit, rooted in soil as terrestrials, which climb and twine on other plants. Not limited to aroids they also include many vines and creepers (the Green Jade Vine, Strongolydon macrobotrys, is an example of a tropical liana as well)
The presence of liane plants in a forest are what differentiate the tropical from the temperate forest.
Amydriums were first described in 1968 when there were 4 species placed into the genus: A. medium, A. zippelianum, A. magnificum, and A. humile. All came from SE Asia and So. China, Java, Sumatra and New Guinea.
Since that time, A. magnificum has been merged as a synonym to the accepted name, A> zippelianum, while 2 new species have been found in Viet Nam: A. hainense and A. sinense. So there are 5 known described species.
The most commonly available (but still hard to find) is Amydrium zippelianum (aka magnificum). A. medium is also available but mainly through serious collectors.
This is Amydrium zippelianum, a deeply incised pinnate leaf makes it easy to identify. This one has rooted to the honeycomb in the cooling pad of my greenhouse.
This ones creeping across the floor, looking for something to climb
And this one is flourishing in my terrarium, new leaf!
Amydrium medium looks completely different...large broad leaves with a bullate looking surface, both pinnation and fenestration present. I recently received this plant in a trade and it is rooted and still getting acclimated to the greenhouse
