Cryptanthus (Earth Star)

Description

This Cryptanthus, a native to Brazil and belonging to the family bromeliads, also called “Earth Star”, is an attractive ornamental plant cultivated primarily for the colour and ornamental shape of its leaves, as the blooms are secondary and generally small. Usually its foliage develops at right angles with the pot (growing along the edges of it) in a flat, star-like rosette shape with the wavy leaf tips, usually having bands or stripes of green, red, brown or bronze colour. Its name Cryptanthus, comes from the Greek words “kryptos” (hidden) and “anthos” (flower) meaning “hidden flower”. 

Cryptanthus grows as terrestrial bromeliad and develops roots similar to a grass, using it to draw nutrients from the soil instead to anchor itself onto the trees and the stones such as epiphytes do. 

When it comes to watering needs, being a soil plant and having a more advanced root system is, different from the epiphyte bromeliads, required to have constant moisture at the soil surface, but not wet one as it should not stagnate. In this way water should be supplied at the root level (soil), not on top like in the central cup of other bromeliads. It is an ideal choice for those that don’t own many and spacey plots, and the small size of the plant makes it the perfect candidate for a pot, mini greenhouse or even a dish garden. Ideal for a bathroom or kitchen sill or any other room that is usually very moist in the atmosphere – the brighter the colours on its foliage, will be if it's placed in full bright sunlight.

So, while the abundant leafy system of this type of Cryptanthus leads it to produce like the regular plants around your home, that the organism makes in taking in your atmospheric (oxygen).

Key features

• A small, star-shaped plant which clusters into a rosette of coloured or striped leaves. 
• The colours vary between varieties, and even with light, can range between shades of pink, copper or red and green. 
• As an ornamental, unlike some of its bromeliad relatives, it doesn’t mount to a surface but grows from the soil.
• Compact and small enough for dish gardens and mini pots/terrariums. 
• Tolerates short periods of drought with their succulent-like, water-storing leaves. 
• Slowly grows in place in the right light and humidity once settled in. 
• The pot comes with sufficient drainage to house your plant’s existing root ball. 
• Great for shelf plants and tabletop displays. Also a beautiful plant for bathroom windowsills.

Care at a glance

Product specifications

What's in the box

• 1 × Live Cryptanthus (Earth Star) plant
• 1 × Pot (Bare-rooted / Pot: Optional, as selected at checkout)
• Potting mix
• Basic care guide

Important notes

• As every plant is a live entity, the rosette of some specimens might be slightly bigger than the one shown or their leaf colour and banding might be different to that shown. 
• As the plant has traveled to you in lower light conditions the leaves may appear to have lost some vibrancy and you may experience some light leaf rolling or a dulling of color.
• However, with time ( usually one or two weeks ) the plant should bounce back once established in its new brighter, more consistent home. 
• Do not place this plant in direct, scorching, bright sunlight once opened as it may cause a bleaching effect on the leaves and burn them. 
• Acclimatize to much higher light levels slowly. 
• The leaf edges are minutely spiny so handle with care and wear gloves when you have to move the plant. 
• The leaf colors are dependent on the light conditions - in the higher levels of light pinks or reds become apparent whereas in lower levels green will be more obvious. 
• Do not keep the plant soggy in the soil, keep it light and slightly moist to prevent root rot or crown rot

Frequently asked questions

Q: My Cryptanthus leaves are losing their colour to pink/red - why?

A: Usually the colours are fading because there isn’t enough light. Place it in a brighter spot but still avoid full sun. The new leaves will have a deeper colour over time as they age. This isn’t an overnight transformation – watch new growth. 

Q: How often should I be watering? 

A: Do not let the Cryptanthus soil become too dry at any stage. Wait until the top inch or two of soil has started to dry before watering, water the soil at the base and always maintain lightly moist but not soggy conditions.

Q: Can I leave it growing indoors on a permanent basis? 

A: Yes, it is perfectly happy indoors all year around. Areas with high humidity such as a bathroom or kitchen or within a terrarium are good places for it as it is a fairly small plant but you don’t need to grow it outdoors. 

Q: Does this plant need direct sun in order to get the best leaf colour? 

A: No, it would just burn your leaves off and have a nice bleached effect. In order to get the good rich green colours, then they need to be somewhere light (not necessarily light enough to read by, but a good amount of ambient light). Direct strong sun will damage your leaves although I know that some varieties of the plant will grow in direct sun but it just will give those results.

Q: How fast is Cryptanthus? 

A: Cryptanthusis a plant that is very slow growing. As opposed to growing quickly and getting larger, Cryptanthus prefers to direct its energy toward holding its rosette shape intact and producing small offset pups at its base. 

Q: Does Cryptanthus require repotting and or fertilization? 

A. Because its root system remains small, repotting a Cryptanthus only needs to be done when offsets become so plentiful that they need additional room. While Cryptanthus will happily survive on its own and will generally live through seasons on water, feeding Cryptanthus a liquid fertiliser which you dilute with water and apply to the soil every couple of weeks from spring through the end of the summer will assist with proper care and growth.