Plant Find: Cercestis mirabilis

Cercestis mirabilis

Cercestis mirabilis is a tropical African species from the Aroid family.  Although there are 13 species in the Cercestis genus, only this one is commonly grown in cultivation.  The juvenile plant has very attractive markings of silver marbling on the leaves.  If the plant is given an opportunity to climb, the marbling will diminish and the leaves will divide into 3 lobes, and sometimes even fenestrations.  As I have mentioned before, this quality of changing form as a plant matures is called heteroblasty.  There are some pictures of adult specimens on the ExoticRainforest website.

I got my plant from the "plant and cuttings swap" at the 3rd meeting of the MidAmerica chapter of the International Aroid Society, held at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.