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ymaddox

identifying houseplants

ymaddox
17 years ago

http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/nav/listing.htm i found this site can anyone recommend anymore for identifying houseplants.

Also i am purchasing Taylors guide to houseplants i found it on amazon for 3.50 with shipping...the book is actually a penny. Has anyone used this book or recommend a few good books both for identifying and/or caring for houseplants. I do have better homes and gardens favorite houseplants.

finally i have a dark green houseplant that has yellow polka dots on it if any ideas please let me know and another new small potted plant that has the same kinda leaf cluster at the end of each stem like a umbrella tree but this plant has 8 leaves and it says the umbrella is in clusters of 7. My mom told me if i kept repotting it over time it will get very big, i just dont know what it is...thanks in advance for your help.

Comments (15)

  • gobluedjm 9/18 CA
    17 years ago

    If you can post a pic here someone will most likely identify it. There are so many variaties and the books can't possibly show them all.
    The green with yellow polka dots could be a gold dust plant. There are couple more that come to mind also.
    My schefflera has 7,8 or 9, there is also several variaties of those also.

  • tjsangel
    17 years ago

    Hi,

    Your yellow dotted plant could maybe be a Croton but we'd need pics to confirm. Good luck on the IDs,

    Jen

  • ymaddox
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    yeah i looked on that denverplants.com and the gold dust croton looks just like mine on their sites...other sites had them but did not look exactly like mine and boy some of them were huge. It says they dont get over 3 ft. lol mine is a very small one :). Thanks for your help.

  • greenelbows1
    17 years ago

    You asked for other places to find pictures--I find the sites of some of the people who sell them are helpful. Logees, Glasshouse Works, Kartuz--you don't have to buy to look, tho' you may not be able to resist!

  • plantastic
    17 years ago

    My best plant book for many years was Readers Digest "Success with House Plants".Nicely laid out. It has colored line drawings not photos, and strangely this makes identification easier.However if you are just starting out and are close to a decent public library, I strongly recommend borrowing their plant books before spending a lot of your own $$$.Then if you find one you really like you might buy it.

  • buyorsell888
    17 years ago

    Love the Reader's Digest houseplant book. Have had it for many years.

    Green with yellow polka dots could be Dracaena godseffiana or Aucuba japonica too, not just gold dust croton.

  • symphonier
    11 years ago

    What kind of plant is this one?

  • plantmasterm
    11 years ago

    Fatsia

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    11 years ago

    I agree that posting your pictures here is probably one of the best ways to have your houseplants identified. We can probably ID something from a very poor image (not that yours would be) while it might be a challenge for you to match your plants up with the pictures in a book or on line. Experience matters. Understand what I am saying?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Yes, and since they change the names so often, the books are no good anymore.

  • PRO
    The Ficus Wrangler
    11 years ago

    I wouldn't say the books are no good any more. Sure they change names and family affiliations now and then, but the majority of plants stay the same. Sometimes it just takes a little more research. I personally like Rodale's Encyclopedia of Indoor Gardening. And the plant above is usually called fatsia japonica (not to nit-pic or anything).

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    I know, I was exaggerating, mostly. It's a pet peeve I harp on when the opportunity arises, sorry.

    YM, we are all starved for plant pron. Feel free to post pics of any plant you'd like to discuss!

  • plantmasterm
    11 years ago

    Yes rhizo we all understand ..was that a dig at me..I'm here to learn as well.

  • pirate_girl
    11 years ago

    Huh,

    What's YM? What just happened here, dig at who, why????

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    YM = just being too lazy to copy/paste: ymaddox. Oop!

    Why would anybody make a dig at you, plantsmasterm? You ID'd the plant, and even if you were wrong, effort counts. Wrong suggestions are just examples of similar plants and I learn a lot and see a lot of interesting plants through ID discussions. Smiles!