Beautiful weeds P.2: Gonatopus boivinii
The Giraffe's Knee ( Gonatopus boivinii ) is a tropical African species that is the most often seen species in collections worldwide. The common name refers to the swollen portion of the petiole which resemble a knobby giraffe knee. This plant was given to me some years ago and remember being quite happy when I received it. If only I knew what I know today. Gonatopus boivinii is definitely a weedy plant, and the reason behind it lies on its leaflets, which develop into new plants just a few days after detachment. This is a species that can definitely colonize neighboring pots. Another African aroid genus, Zamioculcas , also reproduces asexually by means of its leaves, but in these plants, the leaflets are more persistent and often drop off from the plant when already yellowing and thus with little energy reserves. When I used to have big plants of Z. zamiifolia , I have observed the yellowed leaves to have a chancy survival rate; most often these just wither away. In G. boiv...