Nephthytis is a genus of eight species of 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...

s in the family Araceae

Araceae

Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...

, native to tropical western Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, with one recently discovered disjunct species in Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

.

They are herbaceous

Herbaceous

A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...

 plants growing from a rhizome

Rhizome

In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...

. The leaves

Leaf

A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

 are evergreen

Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...

, light and dark green, 15-35 cm long, and are usually arrowhead-shaped, with three lobes. The leaf shape can vary depending on the age of the plant.

Cultivation

Some species are popular houseplant

Houseplant

A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes, positive psychological effects, or health reasons such as indoor air purification...

s. When grown indoors as a decorative houseplant, it needs frequent watering to keep the soil moist. It prefers temperatures that are comfortable to humans, as with most plants. It functions well as a hanging or terrarium plant. The most common of its problems is root rot

Root rot

Root rot is a condition found in both indoor and outdoor plants, although more common in indoor plants with poor drainage. As the name states, the roots of the plant rot. Usually, this is a result of overwatering. In houseplants, it is a very common problem, and is slightly less common in outdoor...

 and can be avoided by providing adequate drainage. This can also be caused by allowing the plant to sit in water. As for other problems, scale insects can also affect it. If this happens, scrape them off and isolate the plant. For this kind of problem, pesticides and sprays don’t always work as the shell of the insect protects it. If this becomes a severe problem, you will have to get rid of the plant. Also if this happens, make sure it is moved away from any other surrounding plants because the bugs could infect them as well. Other than that, this plant is very easy to take care of and thus, it is good for beginners. Propagation

Plant propagation

Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...

 of Nephthytis is fairly easy as well. It can be propagated by layering

Layering

Layering is a means of plant propagation in which a portion of an aerial stem grows roots while still attached to the parent plant and then detaches as an independent plant. Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments...

 and from cuttings.

Syngonium podophyllum

An unrelated American species, Syngonium podophyllum, commonly grown as a houseplant, was originally confused with the similar-looking Nephthytis. It still retains Nephthytis as a common name, though it was given its own genus in 1879.http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/plantoftheweek/articles/Arrowhead_Philodendron.htm See Syngonium.

Selected species

• Nephthytis afzelii Schott
• Nephthytis bintuluensis A.Hay, Bogner & P.C.Boyce
• Nephthytis hallaei Bogner
• Nephthytis mayombensis de Namur & Bogner
• Nephthytis poissonii (Engl.) N.E.Br.
• Nephthytis swainei
  Nephthytis swainei
  Nephthytis swainei is a species of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Ghana.-References:* * *...
  
  Bogner