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Species library › Marcgravia › Marcgravia helverseniana
Terrarium Partly documented

Marcgravia helverseniana

A high-elevation Ecuadorian Marcgravia described by Stefan Dressler and Marco Tschapka in 2002 in Curtis's Botanical Magazine and named for the bat biologist Otto von Helversen, reflecting the genus's bat-pollinated hanging inflorescences. Records come from cloud forest at 2150–2400 m in the north-western Andes of Carchi and Imbabura, so it wants cool days and distinctly cold nights, which sets it apart from the lowland members of the genus. A cool, saturated enclosure with a strong night drop is the goal.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Very humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodClimber

Where it grows wild

Montane cloud forest on the western slope of the Ecuadorian Andes, climbing moss-covered trunks in near-permanent mist. The main cluster of records is around 2250 m in Carchi, with an outlier at 1830 m in Loja.

2150–2400 m recorded, median 2250 m; a genuinely cool cloud-forest species.

EcuadorCarchiImbabura

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.