I had a bit of a surprise this morning when I noticed that my smallest swamp taro plant has produced a new leaf! Any plant addict will know the addictive rush of realising that you can actually keep something alive and that it isn’t dying. The giant swamp taro, or Cyrtosperma merkusii, is a colossus and the holder of one of the largest entire leaves known to science. However, this plant also holds one of the smallest leaves in my garden.
My miniature little plant actually arose by accident. I received a larger cutting of this species in December, and as I potted it in some sphagnum, a tiny piece of its rhizome broke off. When I noticed it had a small bud, I decided to pop it in a moss-lined tub containing some mangrove fern sporelings, just to see what would happen. After a week, instead of rotting away, a little bud on the rhizome piece extended a root and it started to turn green. The bud managed to muster a leaf so I potted it up into a shot glass and moved it to a brighter location, and today it gifted me with the a new leaf!
You might have seen my recent post on its colourful sister, Cyrtosperma johnstonii. They’re pretty similar in many ways but the giant swamp taro has its own interesting background. I hope to write a post on that in the future!
Lost and Ferned 
Thank you so much for this most insight full writing on Cyrtosperma. I recently acquired 2 plants and as I live in a subtropical coastal setting here in the Sunshine coast of Australia I really want to give these a try. Do you have any video on how you grow yours and what would your thoughts be on leaving these plants outside in a mere 10 degrees celcius? I do not have a hot house nor a setup inside and any help would be appreciated. Thanx
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Hi! I’m so sorry I didn’t see your comment until just now. I hope my reply doesn’t come too late. How often do temperatures dip below 10 degrees? Your best bet is to keep in water heated to 21 degrees celsius or above for it to survive lower temperatures. It’s always worth a try. Maybe you could remove some suckers and keep them inside as an insurance in case you lose the mother plant over winter?
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