Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Star’

Origin of Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Star’

Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Star’ is a horticultural selection of Cryptanthus bivittatus, a species native to Brazil.

Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Star’: a care guide

Use an organic potting mix that retains some moisture and drains freely; fine bark with peat-free multipurpose compost is suitable. Check the surface before watering. Once it feels dry to the touch, water while moisture still remains deeper in the pot, then let the excess drain completely and empty any water below the pot. Keep water from sitting in the centre of the flat rosette. If growth slows, continue watering when the surface feels dry to the touch while moisture remains deeper in the pot.

Place Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Star’ in bright indirect or filtered light. The broad pink margins can fade when the position is too dim, and strong midday sun can damage the leaves. Keep the plant warm and away from cold draughts and direct heat. A bright bathroom can provide useful humidity when it also has enough light. Feed sparingly during active growth with a balanced liquid feed at half strength about monthly, and stop feeding when growth stops.

Attached offsets can remain with the parent and form a compact cluster. Repot the group at the same depth in a slightly larger container once the rosettes become crowded. For a separate plant, let an offset reach roughly one-third of the parent rosette's size and wait until it comes free easily with a small twist and gentle tug. Use a small pot with drainage holes and freely draining mix.

• Put a rooted offset into freely draining mix with its roots intact.
• Set a rootless one into a shallow depression and firm the mix around its short stem.

Keep the lowest leaf base above the mix, stake an unstable offset, and keep it warm in bright indirect light while it establishes. Water when the surface feels dry to the touch while moisture remains deeper in the mix.

Troubleshooting Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Star’

• The pink margins lose colour, or exposed areas bleach and brown: Move a plant with fading margins into brighter indirect light. When bleaching or browning follows strong sun, protect the rosette from direct exposure and use filtered light.
• Brown tips or wilt: If the mix has dried, water thoroughly and let it drain. If it is persistently waterlogged, empty standing water and wait until the surface feels dry to the touch before watering again, while some moisture remains deeper in the pot. Dry room air can also brown tips when the roots are already moist, so move the plant away from heating or cooling vents and raise humidity if needed. If the rosette remains wilted while the mix is still wet, inspect the roots. Cut soft decayed roots back to firm healthy tissue with clean tools only when enough healthy roots remain, discard the rotten material and repot in fresh freely draining organic mix in a clean pot with drainage holes. Resume watering when the surface feels dry to the touch while moisture remains deeper in the mix.
• White cottony material appears between the leaf bases: Inspect the rosette and leaf undersides for mealybugs and isolate the plant while you confirm the problem. Remove visible insects by hand if only a small number are present. For further treatment, use a product labelled for mealybugs on indoor plants, test a small area first and wait at least 48 hours for signs of leaf damage. Follow all label directions, including repeat treatments, and keep the plant isolated until the infestation is controlled.

Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Star’ is non-toxic to cats and dogs

• This plant is non-toxic to cats and dogs.
• Its effects on people are unclear, so keep it away from young children who may chew it.
• Eating a large amount can still cause an upset stomach. Seek medical or veterinary advice if symptoms continue.

Cryptanthus bivittatus: name and meaning

Cryptanthus combines Greek kryptos, meaning hidden, with anthos, meaning flower. Bivittatus means two-banded or two-striped, from the Latin bi, two, and vitta, band.

Christoph Friedrich Otto and Albert Gottfried Dietrich established the genus Cryptanthus in 1836 in Allgemeine Gartenzeitung, volume 4, page 298.

William Jackson Hooker first described it as Billbergia bivittata in 1861 in Botanical Magazine, volume 87, plate 5270. Eduard August von Regel later placed it in Cryptanthus as Cryptanthus bivittatus in 1865 in Index Seminum (LE, Petropolitanus), volume 1864, issue supplement, page 15.