Hillia (Ravnia) triflora EXTREMELY RARE orchid companion EPIPHYTE succulent

Description

By bidding on this listing you are agreeing to the terms and conditions listed at the end of this description.
Hillia triflora
Translucent, red, nectar-filled claws
RARE EPIPHYTIC GARDENIA RELATIVE
The Rubiaceae family is most well known for providing us with coffee, gardenias, and quinine, but this large family includes a staggering array of ornamental plants with marvellous morphological diversity.
Extremely rare in cultivation,
Hillia triflora
is a succulent epiphyte with a native range that extends from Honduras to Colombia between 500-2100m elevation where it grows in wet rainforest. It has very handsome, succulent, glossy, deep-green leaves arranged in pairs with elongated internodal spacing on succulent, dichotomous branching stems. This upright plant is fairly slow-growing, putting on a 4-6” a year, eventually  growing as tall as 3’ but can be pruned to stay shorter. The flowers are borne in pairs of 3-5 at the mature tips of new growth, appearing at any time of year, coming in showy simultaneous waves. These tubular flowers look as if they are made of semi-translucent ruby-pink plastic. They are held horizontally reaching out like horizontal claws with conspicuous nectar, beloved by hummingbirds.
This species should be protected from extremes of temperature (protect from frost and temperatures above 86F/30C). I have grown it with nights close to 40F with no problem but I don’t know how close to freezing it can tolerate. In the humid tropics it can be grown in full sun, but is probably happiest in bright shade and makes a great companion plant to orchids. Best grown in a porous yet moisture-retentive potting mix (a vireya mix would be ideal) never allowing the root-zone to fully dry out. I have not attempted to mount it, but I believe it would do well, though it would likely become more dwarf as a result. I have not tried it in a low-humdity environment, but I think it can tolerate down to 50% rh. It can be grown in a sheltered spot outdoors in the mildest parts of the California coast, in a greenhouse or as a houseplant in a moderately humid room indoors.
You are bidding on the young plant shown in images #6-7 above
This species has only very rarely been offered before in the US.
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Terms and Conditions
(Updated 26 December 2020)
PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING:
The plants I grow for sale take a great deal of dedication and specialised skills to produce, so I ask in turn that you please take the time to read the following before agreeing to purchase plants from me. They are grown by me personally and not a large nursery; they are living things and not static objects. To ensure that our transaction goes smoothly, a relationship of trust between buyer and seller is essential, so please read carefully. I’m happy to say that the majority of my sales here are from returning customers and if you are new, I look forward to providing you with many years of exciting plants.
I propagate and sell high-quality, rare plants from my collection, most of which are very hard to find anywhere. I'm passionate about propagating and distributing rare flora. You can bid with confidence knowing that you will be shipped healthy material. I maintain high standards of hygiene and nutrition for my plants. All plants are grown in soil-less media on raised benches or in controlled growing environments with the aim to ensure that plants are free of pests and/or pathogens. My collection is built up from years of searching, trading and careful purchasing from ethical sources, both domestic and international.
I put care and time into writing each description for plant auctions; I attempt to cover all relevant information necessary for your success in growing each species in your home, garden or greenhouse. I recommend saving a copy of the cultural advice in the listing for future reference. Included with each auction listing are pictures of the plant you will receive indicated by the phrase "You are bidding on ___ shown above in pictures #_ above", usually with a finger, ruler or other indicator of real-life scale so that you know what to expect; please be sure to read the listing. Please note that recently harvested bulbs may shrink by 1-4mm between the time of the harvest photo and the time they arrive at your address. Also please be aware that certain plants will grow and change between the time the photo is uploaded at the beginning of the auction or buy-it-now listing and may not look the same by they time you receive them. I only send healthy material. Due to the vagaries of shipping, plants with flowers or buds pictured in auctions cannot be guaranteed to arrive intact on the plant.
I only use photos in my listings for which I have permission to use. When I don't have access to or permission for photos, I try to provide links to internet search results to help you find relevant images. eBay is rife with unethical plant sellers who brazenly steal photos in order to sell their seeds and plants without permission or compensation to the photographers (auctions with photos are much more successful than those without photos). This is wrong on so many levels and their illegal behaviour reflects poorly on such sellers and casts considerable doubt on the veracity and true identity of the plant material they purport to sell. I frequently find my photos and those of other photographer friends being used on eBay illegally. I contact eBay regularly and they remove these copyright infringements via their VeRO programme. It is my hope that if enough customers report and boycott the unethical sellers, we can make eBay a safer and fairer place. You deserve to buy plant material that is true to its advertised identity, not grow something for a number of years only to find that when it blooms it was not what you paid good money for!
Shipping:
These days I ship most plants via USPS Priority Mail, but
the pandemic has slowed the Priority Mail shipments by 3-4 days in some places
, so please keep this in mind.
USPS still guarantees Express Mail to be delivered on time
, so if the plants you buy are particularly sensitive or you have concerns about timing, this may be worth the extra cost.
The vast majority of my offerings can be combined for significant savings on cost. Depending on size, any additional plants will only add -3 per plant to the initial shipping cost of the 1st plant you purchase. Combining multiple items is a great way to save on shipping.
I have been shipping plants for 10 years now and have understanding of which factors will best ensure safe arrival, but it is your responsibility as the customer to alert me to any issues, conditions, holiday delays, or special packing requests pertinent to your needs and/or location. I ship plants only when their surfaces are dry to the touch so as to avoid any issues with rot in transit. I send plants only when their root zone is hydrated but not saturated with moisture (too wet can lead to rot, too dry can lead to dessication). Bulbs are always shipped dry with leaves and roots removed to prevent rot in transit.
There is always a risk in shipping live plants. The winning bidder of the auction is responsible for checking on weather forecasts and how they may adversely affect the shipment of plants.
I am located in mild climate that facilitates safe shipping year-round. If extreme weather (below 32°F or above 95°F) is occurring in your area and/or the area that lie between my location and that of your shipping address, you may wish to request that I hold your purchase until better weather or have them shipped faster than for what Priority Mail allows. I cannot replace plants that have been damaged by extreme temperatures or mechanical damage by the carrier.
If requested *before* the time of payment, I may be willing to delay shipping your purchases
until weather improves. Another option is upgrading to shipping via Express Mail. I cannot replace plants that are damaged by extreme cold or heat in transit, thus during extreme weather it is important to thoroughly consider your options for shipping.
My shipping days are usually on Mondays and I only ship once a week because I have to drive for two hours and queue for another hour because I live so far from the post office.
If there is an issue, please communicate directly with me
. Opening a case with eBay should be a last resort and to me communicates an irreparable loss of trust.
Attention International bidders:
It is the responsibility of bidders with local regulations on movement of plant material to understand and comply with import restrictions that may exist and inform me of any relevant packing and shipping instructions. I will pack your plants with the utmost care and while it is rare that plants die in transit, I cannot guarantee their viability because of factors beyond my control. In all cases, I recommend that such bidders contact me before placing bids. I will not replace or refund purchases of plants that have been lost/confiscated or which perish in transit; by bidding you agree to accept responsibility for this risk. Because of CITES regulations, none of my orchid auctions are open to buyers outside the US.
Feedback:
My priority is on providing you with special, healthy plants in a timely fashion, and I have found that giving and chasing down feedback distracts from this objective. If you are happy with your experience I certainly appreciate positive feedback. If you are for some reason unhappy with your experience, please contact me before leaving your feedback, otherwise you're not giving your seller an opportunity to remedy the issue. Leaving negative feedback on eBay should be a last resort, not a negotiating tactic. I photograph plants before they are packed and shipped to prevent fraudulent claims. I have no qualms about blocking customers who are unreasonable and I do share my block lists with some of my friends who also sell rare plants here on eBay. Advanced horticulture is a small world; let’s all treat each other with respect.
Ask me:
If in doubt or if there are any issues, please contact me.  Please allow a few days for response as I live in a rural area with occasional electricity, internet, and mobile signal outages.
VERY IMPORTANT:
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