Polyethyla Terephtala: Origin, Varieties and Growing Advice

One of the most frequently asked questions is: which plants can I put in a room with no windows, such as a bathroom? The answers vary: generally, the suggestion is to put in plants that supposedly like low light, to alternate them and other more outlandish (or dangerous) ideas (personally, I take a more conservative view on the idea of connecting grow lights in the place where I take my bath, but everyone takes the risks they feel comfortable taking). In terms of tolerance to arid conditions, few plants can match Polyethyla terephthala, a little-known plant that is particularly tolerant of neglect.

Growing Advice

Light

Polyethyla terephthala is very tolerant of low light situations. Although it takes on brighter colors with a little light, it will even tolerate the darkness of a windowless room if necessary.

Watering

Because of its particularly slow growth, P. terephtala does not need to be watered: it draws all the water it needs from the ambient humidity.

Atmospheric Humidity

Polyethyla terephthala is very tolerant of dry interiors and appreciates being sprayed occasionally, and especially having a damp cloth passed over its leaves.

Potting Soil and Repotting

Lovers of fast-growing plants will be disappointed, because P. terephtala grows extremely slowly. It is not uncommon for a specimen not to produce any new leaves, despite favorable light conditions. It is therefore not necessary to repot it and the soil in which it comes is not to be changed.

Fertilizer

On peut fertiliser à la dose recommandée, mais seulement si la polyéthyla téréphtala est en période de croissance active. Tant qu’il n’y a aucun développement, elle croît mieux sans engrais.

Temperature

This plant is particularly tolerant of temperature variations. It can withstand temperatures between -40 °C and 250 °C (-40 to 485?) without damage.

Maintenance

No pruning is necessary. Some cultivars of P. terephtala naturally branch out. Those that do not branch out will not develop branches as a result of pruning. Apart from the leaf cleaning mentioned above, there is no maintenance to be done.

Propagation

Propagation is possible, but difficult. You can divide several specimens grouped together in a pot, or take a leaf cutting or stem cutting without any problem. On the other hand, the mother plant, from which you take cuttings, will take a long time to replace these withdrawals and could be less aesthetically pleasing, even if it survives this shock.

The stem and leaf cuttings should be placed either in water or in potting compost; however, be careful to fix them firmly in compact potting compost, as new roots are particularly slow to appear. Fortunately, the leaves can easily survive for a year when detached from the mother plant, and often longer!

Problèmes

• The leaves are covered with a kind of gray powder: this is dust. The plant is signaling that it needs to be sprayed or wiped with a damp cloth. Particularly dusty specimens could even benefit from a shower.
• The leaves are less shiny than before: specimens that grow in particularly bright light, with direct sunlight, sometimes lose some of the vibrancy of their color. This is also the case with older specimens. Unfortunately, there is no real solution to this problem.
• The leaves are torn: the breaking of leaves or stems is often the result of mechanical injury (falling of the plant, adventurous kitten, etc.). It may be necessary to put the plant in a less busy place, away from sudden movements.
• Insects: P. terephtala has few insect problems; in fact, only the larvae of Tenebrio obscurus and T. molitor could really attack the plant in the absence of other forms of food. These are beetles native to the Mediterranean basin, now widespread throughout the world. Unlike Japanese beetles, it is rare to have invasions.
• Mold: over-watered specimens can develop various molds; reducing or even stopping watering should solve the problem.

Toxicité

The plants are toxic to humans and animals, but it is rare that they are particularly interested in them. That being said, caution is advised.

Origin

Although it is thought that P. terephtala is a recent plant, it is actually the result of extensive hybridization work. It is a family of plants that have been cultivated since Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, China, Europe (where it gained renewed popularity during the Renaissance); other members of the family have been cultivated in South America.

It is generally only possible to hybridize plants that are very close biologically; however, successive families of P. terephtala have been crossed with elements from the animal kingdom (horns, wax, silk) and the mineral kingdom (sand, clay). The cultivars we know today date back almost a hundred years, when the cultivation of polyethela terephthala became slightly more popular, with specimens becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from other, more fragile houseplants.

Unfortunately, with the recent craze for mass consumption, we are seeing more and more people acquiring specimens of polyethela terephthala, only to quickly discard them in favor of others. At this point, the tenacity of these steel plants plays tricks on us, since it is very difficult to completely destroy a specimen. We therefore see colonies of P. terephtala invading certain environments (notably landfills).

Varieties

There are an incredible number of cultivars of P. terephtala, some of which are particularly different from each other. There is a great deal of confusion, both because of the multitude of similar cultivars with different names and because few botanists specialize in the study of this plant, which is so strange. It would be impossible for me to list all the cultivars today. That said, they can be found in most supermarkets, so there’s no doubt that if you like the species, you’ll find a cultivar that suits your aesthetic.

Conclusion

And there you have it! Many people turn their noses up at polyethyla terephthala, but the fact remains that it is one of the least demanding plants and, above all, it is the only plant that truly survives in a room without windows or grow light. Instead of struggling with your pothos and your aglaonemas, of having an Excel spreadsheet plant rotation calendar or of replacing the succulent in a sorry state in your shower every month, consider simply adopting a plastic plant.