The genus Clusia was featured in an article in the Cactus and Succulent Journal Vol. 92 (4), Winter 2020, which revealed some of the wonderful diversity of this mostly tropical group. Nevertheless, the thick fleshy leaves give some of these plants a surprising degree of drought tolerance. Some of them grow as stranglers, germinating in the crotch of a tree and sending roots down, eventually smothering the host. We haven’t yet tested the Colombian Clusia orthoneura in the garden, but as a greenhouse specimen, it has proven to be remarkably tough and readily produces its beautiful pink flowers. Ours is a male as evidenced by the crown of arching stamens at the center of the flower. We offer rooted cuttings of HBG 133204. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 94 (2), Summer 2022