[NA] Calling all horticulturists... what is this plant?

TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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My daughter brought home a plant that the teacher had at school; it appeared to be dead and she wanted to try to 'resurrect' it. There are new shoots/leaves starting to grow out of the tips of the long stems extending from the root ball.

The roots remind me of ginger--they are above the soil. I've included a ruler for an idea of scale.

Can anybody here know what plant we're saving?
 

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Her Majesty (former wife) was a licensed horticulturist in Georgia. I sent the photos to her in Fort Lauderdale to see if she "knows her stuff." It may take a day or two to get an answer.

HR
 
Troy:
Her Majesty has responded to the photos I sent her. She writes:

"LOOKS LIKE A TUBER ROSE (NOT A REAL ROSE) OR SOME TYPE OF FICUS BY THE EXTERIOR ROOTS....HARD TO TELL WITHOUT SEEING SOME FOLIAGE...LOOKS LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE IN THE SUN AND DON'T OVER WATER IT...JUST WHEN YOU FEEL THE SOIL AND IT'S DRY...

I'LL FORWARD IT TO ANGEL AND SEE WHAT SHE THINKS."

Angel is another horticulturist associate.

HR

Edited note: I've been trying to teach Her Majesty about Internet protocol, as in SHOUTING. Success has not been forthcoming.
 
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Thank you to Harley and the Queen! We'll try the sun... it's indoors now. I'll send pictures of that leaf that's growing as soon as it has more detail.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Looks to me like a body snatcher's pod.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I was going to warn to look out if it grows a big flower head and you find out it likes being fertilized with fresh human blood...:hairraise:

Little_Shop_Audrey_profile2.jpg
 
Now that's funny; primarily because one of the roles I've played is Mr. Mushnik, in "Little Shop of Horrors". During final dress rehearsal there was a near disaster.

When Mushnik was about to be eaten by Audrey II, and the backstage handlers pulled the lines one of the lines caught me under the chin. I elevated myself with the rise of the handling line but I could only go to my tip-toes. As the handlers continued to run the lines it picked me right off my feet and I couldn't breathe.
When my face turned red someone screamed, "Drop the lines, he can't breathe."
I was nearly unconscious; there was a red welt around my neck for about two weeks.

"Mushnik and sonnnnnnnnnnnn, that's us." It was really a terrific production, but expensive. We had rented the "Pods" which had just come off the National Tour.
The Music Director for it was Music Director for the "Oklahoma" I just did. We had a good laugh about the "Horrors" incident one night when polishing some gaffs in "Oklahoma" rehearsals.

HR
 
Lawreston said:
She writes:

HARD TO TELL WITHOUT SEEING SOME FOLIAGE...LOOKS LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE IN THE SUN AND DON'T OVER WATER IT...

Angel is another horticulturist associate.
Click to expand...

OK, we put it in the sun (window in the kitchen nook) and it's done well. Much more foliage now. I waited til there was fairly well-developed leaves so she'd have more to go on.

AbbyPlant1.jpg


AbbyPlant2.jpg


AbbyPlant3.jpg


AbbyPlant4.jpg
 
And I showed it to my wife, who has her BS in Horticulture. It didn't look familiar to her, either. Keep looking...
 
Here's my latest communique from Her Majesty:
***************************************************************

WE'RE WORKING ON IT!! I THINK IT'S EITHER A "TUBEROSE" OR SOME KIND OF FICUS...

GOT THE REAL EXPERTS TRYING TO I.D. IT...SHOULDN'T TAKE TOO LONG

AMAZING WHAT PLANTS WILL DO WHEN THEY GET SOME LIGHT!!
----- Original Message -----
From: Jerry Crute
To: Nana Val
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 6:26 PM
Subject: The Mystery Plant -- Part Two

Troy just sent me another message. See the Link:
 
We think we figured it out... thanks to Google search. We started searching for shrubs with horizontal lenticels in the bark...

A ginseng ficus. It's a tree / shrub used in bonsai.

Ficus retusa is its scientific name.

Can we get the horticulturists to confirm?

Looks like Kevin was the closest, with the ficus designation.
 
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