Whenever the Star variegate juveniles first begin to pop up. I bought them. Then I ran it down on the web..I think it was 2005-6 time frame. The 'Star' mother is a normal large based recurvata. The leaves are definitely recurvata on my own examples of the 'Star variegate',
The country was about to be flooded with 'Star' Variegate. I chased it down to a Miami plant import broker who would order stage 2 liners from the Netherlands, ship them to Costa Rica grow them to stage 4's and then bring them into miami.
Minimum order from him was 4000 plants. His website had images of the mother plant.
This could have been likened to the great Holland Bulb rush. that crashed. Except those of us who had 3 ' dia. plants we grew from seed, knew that the seedlings of normal seedlings begin to form as spheres in this enviromnent within the first few months of growth. After 6 months these Star plants had leaves that were over 18 inches and a 'Stem...not a sphere for a base, just a little long swelled part at the base. I was fervently working to find somebody who would partner for halves on a minimum order of these things from the broker...then I started to doubt. I doubted for a couple of years..Now I don't doubt..these are TC from rooted recurvata branch cuttings..
I've not rooted a single recurvata branch that ever formed the big caudidiform trunk.
I have an old Nurseryman friend in Akron Ohio, who wanted one so bad that he planted thousands of recurvata seed...he got several.variegates.30 years ago...last year he asked me if he should lab them..I related the above anecdote.
By the way, I've had several examples of guatamalensis. These are more easily killed by gopher rats than any of the others, because in part the caudiciform trunk is much smaller. There are significant differences in the leaves that are pretty obvious when the plants are grown side-by-side.
Guat is a jungle fringe species. It is best seen in a pure shade area with about 70 percent light in this area..and no direct sun.
Grown in morning sun..near any other species and it demonstrates unique leaf form. that is stiffer and the recurve has sharp break angles as it growth extends.
Bob
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