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Non-Carnivorous Tepui Plants?

  • Thread starter Pk93
  • Start date
Hey all!

I'm trying to find some companion plants for my terrarium and I like the idea of growing some non-carnivorous plants that naturally occur on tepuis. That being said, I haven't had any luck finding any non-carnivorous tepui plants for sale. Does anyone know if there are any in cultivation?

Thank you,
Pk93
 
If you want to order from foreign nurseries I remember there were one or two that supplied Stegolepis sp..
Beyond that, I'm curious to know about companion plants too.
 
I also second this - very interesting question. I wonder if we could find some ID keys for the region.
~Joe
 
Figured I'd bump this since I've been doing some research for planning a Brocchinia reducta and hechtioides biotope, so I've been on the search for hardier plants found on the tepuis and surrounding savanna (especially the terrestrial/lithophytic ones).

The most common tepui plants in US circulation are orchids, some of the more common ones in culture include Epidendrum ciliare and secundum, Eriopsis biloba, Cattleya lawrenceana, and Catasetum planiceps. Redfern's trek itinerary for Auyan Tepui and Angel Falls has a nice non-exhaustive list as well [LINK]. Epidendrum secundum is a breeze to grow although it isn't the showiest plant and many of the reed stem Epidendrum get rather tall for terrariums.

Besides the carnivorous Brocchinia reducta and hechtioides, B. tatei is becoming more common in the US. The giant B. micrantha and the myrmecophyte B. acuminata are much more difficult to find. Other bromeliads include the carnivore Catopsis berteroniana, Racinaea sp. and Tillandsia turneri (which doesn't seem to be in cultivation). T. funckiana is also from Venezuela and very common, but I don't know if it grows on/near the tepuis.

Eriocaulon sp. can also make interesting accent plants, as can Xyris sp., although finding species explicitly from South America might be challenging. I have never seen anyone in the US with Stegolepis besides the odd botanical garden, which is pretty disappointing. Haven't seen too many ferns mentioned around the internet but there are also some Elaphoglossum sp. from the area. Araflora's website is worth a look-around for plants although it seems like many of their tepui/savanna plants are unidentified and they don't have US dealers.
 
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