OK this green stuff came in a bouquet of roses I got for Valentine's Day. The roses lasted a week, but this stuff is still going strong! I'm really impressed with it. Does anyone know what it's called, what it is, if I can grow it in Tennessee?
A Ruscus species - and likely it is R. israeli, because that seems to be THE popular one with florists at this point. Those swellings (cladodes) along the leaf center vein - that's how Ruscus blooms, pretty unique. The family (commonly called "Butcher's Broom") is made up of some pretty cool plants, in my opinion - and I'm sure that there are some that could make nice, hardy landscape plants for you, and might very well be available in local nurseries, 'though I'm not sure if you'd find R. israeli, specifically. Are any of those stems showing signs of rooting? They could - or if you wanted to encourage them even more, maybe try cutting a few of them a bit shorter and do the whole rooting hormone "thing".
Thanks so much for the info!! This is fascinating....OK, so I took a couple more photos because I wanted to show you what I found when I looked more closely. I went looking for roots, and didn't find any. Really want to know more about rooting the thing though. But look what else I found! I guess these are the swelling that you talked about along that center leaf vein. What, however is this other thing hanging down???
Unless I am mistaken, that is a flower bud - tiny, but cute little things, they are. Keep watching, hopefully it will open. For trying to get some pieces rooting, I'd trim several pieces back to about 3"or 4" in length, I'd remove all but the top set of "leaves" on each cutting (carefully, so as not to damage the nodes where removing) - then I'd apply rooting hormone along the stems (according to mfr directions) and firm the prepared cuttings into some rooting medium **, keeping moisture levels even - and wait ... with fingers crossed. ** (Actually, Foresythe pots work wonders for me when propagating cuttings, and I use that method almost exclusively.)
This is sooo interesting. Had to run out and Google it. What a cute little flower. I love it. I will have go pick some of these up from a florist on Monday. Thanks for sharing Ronni and for the info zuzu's petals.
cool. I worked in a flower shop for a few years but never noticed these "buds" on the foliage. Thanks for pointing that out zuzu.
I'm going to have to look this up just to see what the little flower looks like! It seems like such an odd place for a flower to form.
Oh my gosh! I did some googling too, so curious about the flower. Of course, I have no idea if MY plant will have flowers that look like this, but still, it gives you an idea! So very delicate and pretty, just like Barb says!
Y'know, what amazes me about the plant (apart from all the things we've already discussed here) is that is is as fresh and green and healthy looking as the day I unwrapped it from the Valentine's bouquet! The roses have long since withered and gone bye bye, but these fronds of .... what's it called?.... Ruscus Israeli are absolutely thriving and show no signs of dying even though they're just stuck in some water. And the thing has even started blooming!! I mean, how long is it going to last in a vase of water? I really want to root it, but honestly I'm afraid of doing anything to it that might interrupt whatever it's currently doing. Every branch has those little nodules on the undersides of the leaves, and a couple more look like they're starting to bloom as well. I'm inclined to just leave it the way it is, and go get some other ones to see if I can root them.
Ronni, This is the kind of flower that I would float in water in a very expensive lead crystal bowl. I would float many many of them in it. Needless to say it could be a very small bowl. This is a big bowl with a center flower but all these little things around the hellebore are flowers. I love to float different kind of flowers.
Wow. WOW!!!! Barb, that is just amazing! So incredibly delicate looking, but just so lovely. The crystal is perfect to float them in. I actually have a very small, heart shaped crystal bowl....if I get enough flowers from those branches, I'll do something similar! What a great idea...thanks!
I have this little crystal heart shaped bowl for floating little flowers in. I just love it. Lead crystal always shines much better with the water.
