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Help me identify my tropical house plant. What is it?

My plant looks very similar to a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) but I don't think it is the same, because since the 2 year I bought it from Fred Meyer indoor nursery it has never had any white flowers, but it continues to grow a new giant leaf out of the middle every 4 to 5 months or so.

The spathe shape leaves are almost the same as a peace lily, expect instead of the leaves growing out of the ground circling and area, the newest leaf always sprouts from between the last newest leaf and its nearest neighboring leaf. The oldest leave is always the one on the outside closest to the base, and it eventually splits off from the main stalk and dies.

My plant is about 3 feet tall, and the leaves are about 8 to 10 inches long, and 4 to 6 inches wide. Each stalk grows one leaf, with the stalk tapering out towards the end of the leaf, and veins create a slightly ribbed effect as the run diagonally out from the rib to the edges of the leaf, evenly spaced.

Last week I was amazed to see a plant that looked exactly like mine at a trendy restaurant, but it was gigantic compared to mine! It was over 10 feet tall, with the leaves reaches over a foot in lenth, and about 8 to 10 inches across.

Please help me to indentify this plant. What is it called? Bonus if you can provide tips on how to better care for it, or how to make it super huge like the one I saw at the restaurant (or do you think that was a specialty hybrid species?).

Update:

I now have photos available. Please view photos to help identification. Notice the stem formation especially.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64535152@N03/58772311...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64535152@N03/58777928...

I looked at google images, and my plants do not seem to match any of the leaf formations shown on typical peace lilies. The Sensation variety seemed the closest that I found.

Oh! And don't believe they can get over 10 feet tall? Take a look at this whopper!

http://www.cadillaccafepdx.com/cadillac/images/sto...

Yes I believe it is the same plant as mine, as the stem and leaves grow exactly like mine, and not like a peace lily.

2 Answers

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  • 10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    There are different species of Spathiphyllums,the two most common are Clevelandii and Mauna Loa. Sometimes if they are not fed properly or their soil is too tightly packed or even if they get too little sun or too much sun they won't bloom. No matter how many years you have them. They like loose fibrous potting mixture, a weekly feeding of diluted liquid fertilizer, and good light. They do not like hot sunny windows. They also like ample water but don't get them too soggy or you will get root rot.The one you saw at the restaurant was probably something different. Spathiphyllums don't usually get that big.

  • The last photo you added looks like a Bird of Paradise.

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