Ctenanthe lubbersiana 'Golden Mosaic'

Cultivated name and botanical identity of Ctenanthe lubbersiana 'Golden Mosaic'

‘Golden Mosaic’ has been sold under several botanical names, including Ctenanthe lubbersiana ‘Golden Mosaic’ and Ctenanthe pilosa ‘Golden Mosaic’.

The name ‘Golden Mosaic’ has remained consistent even as the species name has varied in the plant trade.

Keeping ‘Golden Mosaic’ colourful and well grown

• Light and colour: Give ‘Golden Mosaic’ bright filtered light across the whole clump. Gentle direct sun early or late in the day can be introduced gradually.
• Water: Water when the surface of the mix begins to feel lightly dry. Wet the root ball evenly, then let excess water drain. Keep the mix evenly moist while the plant is growing.
• Humidity: A humid room helps the long leaves open smoothly. Gentle airflow helps the dense centre dry evenly after watering.
• Temperature: A consistently warm room suits ‘Golden Mosaic’ while new leaves and shoots develop.
• Potting mix: Use a loose organic blend with coir or peat, fine bark and perlite or pumice. A broad pot gives new shoots from the base room to develop.
• Pruning: Shorten an overlong stem just above a healthy node to shape the plant and encourage branching.
• Feeding: Feed lightly while new leaves and shoots are forming. As the plant slows down, increase the time between feeds.
• Repotting and propagation: Repot when roots and rhizomes crowd the container or when the old mix becomes compacted and different parts of the mix dry at very different rates. Rooted sections of the clump can be separated for propagation.

Diagnosing colour, leaf and root problems in ‘Golden Mosaic’

• New shoots growing solid green: Low light can reduce the yellow pattern. A single all-green shoot that stays green in good light may have reverted, meaning that shoot has lost its yellow pattern. Move a dimly placed plant into brighter filtered light and watch the next leaves. If one shoot stays solid green in good light, follow that stem down and cut it off where it joins the base. Leave patterned stems for continued growth and propagation.
• Brown tips or dry margins: Inconsistent watering, dry air or minerals from hard water can cause brown tips and margins. Restore steady hydration and humidity, and use rainwater or filtered water when hard-water deposits are visible.
• Pale tan patches on yellow or cream tissue: A sudden increase in direct sun can mark exposed variegation. Place it in bright diffused light and give it short periods of direct sun at first.
• Yellowing with soft stems or roots: Yellowing together with soft stems or roots points to root decay. Inspect the roots. Cut mushy brown tissue back to firm healthy growth with a clean disinfected blade, discard the affected material and repot the healthy roots in fresh, airy mix.
• Fine webbing, tiny pale speckles or cottony insects: Fine webbing and pale speckles usually point to spider mites; cottony insects point to mealybugs. Inspect branch joints and both sides of the leaves. Separate the plant from nearby foliage, clean off visible pests and use a suitable labelled treatment. Repeat only when the product directions call for it.

For unclear damage, use Foliage Factory support to narrow the likely cause and next step.

Ctenanthe lubbersiana ‘Golden Mosaic’ 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.

When was Ctenanthe lubbersiana first published, and what does it mean?

Ctenanthe combines Greek kteis, meaning comb, with anthos, meaning flower. The epithet lubbersiana honours Belgian horticulturist Louis Lubbers.

August Wilhelm Eichler established the genus Ctenanthe in 1884 in Abhandlungen der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, volume 1884, page 81.

Charles Jacques Édouard Morren first described it as Stromanthe lubbersiana in 1882 in Annales de Botanique et d’Horticulture, volume 32, page 21. Otto Georg Petersen later placed it in Ctenanthe as Ctenanthe lubbersiana in 1890 in Flora Brasiliensis, volume 3, issue 3, page 159; August Wilhelm Eichler had proposed the name.