New Varieties
June 13, 2008 
• Agri-Starts Inc.
Musa ‘Little Prince’ is an exciting new musa introduction. This dwarf variety stands at a stout 2 to 2.5 feet full grown. It is the perfect accent to a tropical garden or container. It requires ample moisture, fertile soil and part to full sun.
Alocasia lauterbaachiana is great for something different in a mixed container centerpiece. This upright alocasia has slender serrated leaves that are a deep green with a burgundy underside. It grows best in filtered light and does not require much water. Six-inch pots can be finished in 12 to 15 weeks.
‘Frosted Citrosa’ is a sport of citrosa with a striking white variegation pattern on the edges of each leaf. The plant requires no growth regulators and grows more compact and tolerates warmer temperatures than the original, all while still emitting its trademark fragrance. For more information, contact Agri-Starts Inc., Apopka, Fla., 407-889-8055 or visit www.agristarts.com.
• Florica Farms Inc.
Dracaena ‘Marginata Openweave’ is carefully hand braided, using the best quality cane available. It is sprouted under shade to produce foliage for interiorscapes.
Cordyline ‘Florica’ features sturdy red-bronze foliage with hot pink new growth. It prefers bright light in interior settings or can be used outside for container gardening (above 40 degrees). It makes a great accent plant for color rotations in interiorscapes. The range is 3 to 4 feet.
Dracaena ‘Janet Craig Jumbo’ offers a darker green, wider leaf than its mother, ‘Janet Craig.’ ‘Jumbo’ is good for 14-inch pot production and low light interiorscape settings. For more information, contact Florica Farms Inc., Wellington, Fla., 561-791-4588.
Sanseveria cylindrica ‘UpRight’ is ForemostCo’s latest introduction for the interiorscape market. Native to Brazil, ‘UpRight’ fits well into many taller interiorscape applications. Durable and long-lasting, ‘UpRight’ is available in sizes from 12 inches to 48 inches tall to fit many different applications.
The Spathiglottis plicatta Sorbet series of ground orchids offers spectacular color in gardens and homes. Free-flowering and winter-hardy through Zone 9, Sorbet orchids can also be grown as patio plants in colder regions. It is now available in four colors: Coconut Cloud, Moonlit Grape, Tropical Pineapple and Tropical Punch.
Sanseveria ‘Jiboia’ is an exciting new addition to the fast-growing sanseveria market. Jiboia is large, broad-leafed, very sturdy and ready to complement any home or garden. Heights range from 12 inches to 48 inches, and they will be available in 10-inch pots. ‘Jiboia’s’ leaf pattern mimics a South American snake.
New syngonium ‘Merry Maria’ offers a deep red, long-lasting color that neither fades nor reverts. ‘Merry Maria’ also retains its compact nature and is strong and disease-resistant. Use ‘Merry Maria’ for holidays and as a colorful complement to other syngoniums.
Aglaonema ‘Pride of Sumatra’ has it all, combining stunning colors, strong growth characteristics and low light requirements. ‘Pride of Sumatra’ will become a winner for interiorscapers and homeowners. It will be available in the latter half of 2007. For more information, contact ForemostCo Inc., Miami, Fla., 800-421-8986 or visit www.foremostco.com.
• Milestone Agriculture
Doryopteris cordata ‘Antenna Fern’ is a new, small tropical fern with a unique look. Lower fronds are compact and rounded. Upper fronds are tall and antenna-shaped. It is recommended for small pots.
Recommended for use as a groundcover or border plant, Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens Black Mondo Grass’ is a small evergreen perennial. ‘Black Mondo Grass’ is a slow grower, with a mounding, clumping habit, that will reach a height of 15 inches. The foliage starts out green and turns dark black as it matures. Plants spread by underground stolons with thick, fleshy roots. In late summer to early fall, the plant blooms, forming white flowers with a pink flush. Plant them in partial shade to full sun, about 12 inches apart, in moist well-drained soil.
Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’ boasts dark red, spiny foliage. Excellent as a specimen or an upright component in mixed containers, it is hardy in Zones 8b-11. It must be protected from frost and should not be overwatered.
Compact and bushy, ‘Polypodium Falax’ features bright green, lobed and crested fronds. It is recommended for small and medium pots.
Spath 500 (temporary name) is a medium sized, bushy spath with dark green leaves and pure white blooms. It is perfectly suited for 6-inch pots.
A fairly new addition to the tropical foliage market, Stromanthe sanguinea ‘Tricolor’ (Triostar) is distinguishable by its elongated leaves, which are painted creamy white with purple undersides. The plants also display beautiful pink blooms in spring. Grown in containers 1-gallon and up, this stromanthe will make a beautiful specimen or companion accent in shaded tropical gardens to Zone 8b. It can be used to provide color and interest in adequately lit interiorscapes. In the ground, it will clump to about 2 feet tall and 4 feet across while sending new leaves and blooms as tall as 4 feet. For more information, contact Milestone Agriculture, Apopka, Fla., 407-889-7868 or visit www.milestoneag.com.
• Oglesby Plants International Inc.
As the name implies, anthurium ‘Big & Bold’ was a selection from Oglesby’s in-house breeding program for qualities best suited to large 8- and 10-inch production. Similar in size to cut flower varieties, this large structured anthurium produces abundant large white flowers (spathes) enhanced with a contrasting pink nose (spadix). As mature flowers age, they turn an attractive green. The foliage is dark green, tough and resistant to anthurium blight. ‘Big & Bold’ will complement the best 10-inch upgrade programs. For more information, contact Oglesby Plants International Inc., Altha, Fla., 850-762-3296 or visit www.oglesbytc.com.
• Rancho Tissue Technologies
Cordyline australis ‘Midnight’ is a striking cordyline from Burl Mostul of Rare Plant Research. It is a deep red that’s almost black, and spiky leaves give it an exotic look. It grows to three feet tall and can be used as a phormium replacement in landscapes or containers. It requires full sun/part sun and is hardy in Zones 7-12
Cordyline australis ‘Olive’ has new growth that emerges emerald green but turns a deep red as the plant matures. It’s perfect in landscapes or containers and grows 4 to 5 feet tall. It does best in full sun/part shade and is also hardy in Zones 7-12.
Both of these new cordylines are being tissue cultured in Rancho Tissue’s U.S. lab. For more information, contact Rancho Tissue Technologies, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., 858-756-6785 or visit www.ranchotissue.com.
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