{"product_id":"nautilocalyx-lynchii","title":"Nautilocalyx lynchii","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNautilocalyx lynchii\u003c\/strong\u003e, sometimes sold as the black alloplectus, is a compact \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gesneriads\"\u003egesneriad\u003c\/a\u003e from South America prized for its dark, glossy foliage. The elliptic leaves are a deep bronze green to reddish bronze, with a glossy surface, finely toothed edges and red tinted veins. They sit on stout, rather succulent upright stems. Clusters of creamy, pale yellow tubular flowers dressed in fine purplish hairs appear where the leaves meet the stem, mostly in summer. Most plants stay somewhere between 15 and 45cm tall in a pot, which makes it a neat choice for a shelf, a plant cabinet or a roomy \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/terrarium-plants\"\u003eterrarium\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigins\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKew's Plants of the World Online gives its native range as Colombia to Ecuador and northern Brazil, where it lives in the wet tropics. Joseph Hooker first described it in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1892 as a species of Alloplectus, and Thomas Sprague of Kew moved it to Nautilocalyx in 1912. The old genus lives on in the common name black alloplectus. It belongs to the Gesneriaceae, the same family as African violets, Streptocarpus and Episcia, and it shares their liking for soft light, warmth and moist air.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBright, indirect light suits it best, and it copes well with moderate light a little way back from a window. Keep it out of hot direct sun, which can scorch the leaves. Water when the surface of the compost just starts to feel dry, so it stays lightly moist but never soggy, and use water at room temperature. \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/humidity-loving-houseplants\"\u003eHumidity\u003c\/a\u003e is the thing to get right: it wants moist air, so a terrarium, a plant cabinet, a bright bathroom or a tray of damp pebbles will all help. A light, open, free draining \u003ca href=\"\/products\/simply-houseplant-tropical-houseplant-potting-mix\"\u003emix\u003c\/a\u003e keeps the roots healthy. Normal room temperatures of around 18 to 24C are ideal, and it is best kept above 13C through winter, away from cold draughts and chilly glass. Its safety around pets has not been assessed, so keep it out of reach as a precaution.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"GrowTropicals","offers":[{"title":"9cm","offer_id":58312337064319,"sku":"LPSAUG41","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0361\/9645\/0348\/files\/nautilo.jpg?v=1789135149","url":"https:\/\/growtropicals.com\/products\/nautilocalyx-lynchii","provider":"GrowTropicals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}