Geogenanthus poeppigii, commonly called the seersucker plant, is a flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 species in the family Commelinaceae

Commelinaceae

Commelinaceae is a family of flowering plants. In less formal contexts, the group is referred to as the dayflower family or spiderwort family. It is one of five families in the order Commelinales and by far the largest of these with an estimated 650 species in 40 genera. Well known genera include...

(the dayflower & spiderwort family). As currently circumscribed, the genus Geogenanthus

Geogenanthus

Geogenanthus is a genus of plants with 3 species in the family Commelinaceae . The genus is distributed from Colombia to Amazonian Peru and Brazil...

includes two other species, G. ciliatus and G. rhizanthus. Geogenanthus undatus is an outdated synonym for G. poeppigii. For more details on the rather complicated synonmy for this species, see Faden (1981).

Etymology

The genus name, Geogenanthus is derived from the Greek geo meaning earth, gen meaning produce, and anthus meaning flower: thus, earth-borne flower. This genus was named for its flowers being borne from the base of the stem, appearing to grow from the ground. The specific epithet poeppigii is named after the man who first discovered this species, Eduard Friedrich Poeppig (1798-1868). This species got its common name, 'seersucker plant', because of its close resemblance to the puckering of seersucker

Seersucker

Seersucker is a thin, puckered, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped or checkered, used to make clothing for spring and summer wear. The word came into English from Hindustani , which originates from the Persian words "shir o shekar", meaning "milk and sugar", probably from the resemblance of its...

 fabric.

Distribution

Native to Amazonia. It has been documented in the lowlands of Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 and western Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, and is typically found on the floor of primary rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

s.

Morphology

The bottom of the leaf is purple and the top of its leaves are green with darker green stripes. The surface as a whole has a "puckered" appearance; hence the common name seersucker plant. This plant is particularly unique because its cymes rise from the lower nodes, which often looks like their growing out of the ground. The three upper stamens are hairy and the three lower ones longer and smooth. Nodes and internodes are prominent on the stem. The stem of the plant is covered in minute brown hairs and, underground, plants possess a short, branching rhizome.

Uses

This species is adaptable to a low light environments which has made it preferable for a house plant. It also likes humidity and, in a pot, it should not be allowed to dry out for too long.

Horticulture

Sunlight that is bright as well as indirect is best. Plants do not flower or set seeds freely. For propagation and the stem is cut.