I am always on the lookout for reputable vendors to purchase plants from, especially plants that are rare or unusual. In this post, I am super excited to give you an Ecuagenera review and plant haul!
Ecuagenera is a well-known, family-owned company based in Ecuador. They specialize in in the conservation and propagation of orchids, but have also developed a pretty huge selection of exotic tropical plants and aroids. Check out their website and be prepared to be blown away!
Ecuagenera has a United States-based nursery branch in Apopka, Florida. They routinely do mass plant imports from Ecuador to their Apopka nursery, and then ship out their customers’ orders from there via UPS.
The Ordering Process
Ordering from the Ecuagenera website is super simple. However, you need to be fast when they update their inventory! Every so often (maybe once every couple of weeks), they will list a whole bunch of plants that are finally back in stock, and some of the most coveted plants will be there among them. Philodendron verrucosums, Philodendron El Choco Reds (a.k.a. Philodendron verrucosum 5 on Ecuagenera’s website), and Anthurium warcoqueanums are some of the most popular plants that sometimes sell out within hours.
The easiest way to pay for your order is through PayPal. Ecuagenera will need to add on some fees for shipping to your country (not necessarily to your house; in the U.S., they will ship to Florida first) and other import fees. This will be specified when you are checking out.
After you succeed in paying for your order, you will receive an email in a few days from an Ecuagenera employee. They will ask you to confirm the accuracy of your invoice and let you know when you should expect your shipment tracking number. They may also ask if you’d like upgraded shipping after your plants arrive at their Florida nursery. This is up to you as a buyer, but paying for 2- or 3-day shipping may help ensure that your plants arrive in their best condition.
Once you confirm your order, you will need to be patient for about 2-3 weeks while your plants are being processed and shipped to the U.S. (or whatever country you live in).
My First Ecuagenera Plant Haul
All the plants arrive with their roots wrapped in damp sphagnum moss and enclosed in plastic baggies. The plants are then wrapped in kraft paper bags and packed flat into the box. Everything is well-packed and there is no room for any shifting or tumbling in transit.
The plants usually come with their own pre-labeled tags attached to the outside of the kraft paper wrapping. Sometimes there are no tags, but the plants have label stickers on the kraft paper, so you’ll never receive anything without an identification. You can see an example of both in the photo below.
Now, for what you’ve all been waiting for! The plants!
Drumroll, please…
Philodendron subhastatum “Ecuagenera”
Philodendron subhastatum doesn’t look particularly unique when it’s viewed from above. But flip a leaf over and…WOWWEE!! Check out that underside!
Framed with bright green veins, the dark burgundy undersides of the leaves are a stunning contrast to the green topside and petioles. This variety “Ecuagenera”, appears to have a much more vivid burgundy color than the typical Philodendron subhastatum species. It will definitely add a gorgeous pop of color to any plant collection, so don’t hesitate to get one for yourself!
Anthurium angamarcanum
This Anthurium has sumptuously velvet leaves. It’s definitely an underrated Anthurium that hasn’t quite been discovered by most rare plant growers and collectors.
Unfortunately, while this Anthurium was received in good condition, all the leaves of my plant died back to a stump. The roots are still decent and healthy-looking, but I suspect that the stump no longer has any “active” nodes that will allow for future vegetative growth. For now, I will keep it on life support in the plant ICU, but I’m keeping my expectations low. I may have to try again sometime in the future. It’s super sad, but sometimes these things happen. You can’t win them all!
Monstera subpinnata
I chose this Monstera subpinnata because of the feathery leaf shape. Since most aroids have broad, shield-like leaves, I thought that a Monstera subpinnata would be a nice contrast to the rest of my collection.
My plant arrived in decent condition, but you can see that one of the leaves is yellowing and will drop soon. You will inevitably get some leaf drop when you purchase a plant from a different part of the world, so there’s no need to be alarmed. I would only be concerned if it dropped all of its leaves in quick succession. It has since acclimated and is doing well.
Philodendron gardeniodorum
The Philodendron gardeniodorum can look very similar to an Anthurium veitchii―Google it and check it out for yourself! As it grows, it lengthens and develops a similar “ripped abs” look like the Anthurium veitchii. This plant seems to ship quite well and did not drop a single leaf during the acclimation process.
Philodendron pastazanum
This Philodendron pastazanum is in its juvenile form, so it doesn’t look like what you would normally see on social media or Instagram photos. Despite that, it shipped extremely well and took no time at all to adapt to my home. About two weeks after I received it, it was already putting out a brand new leaf!
Anthurium forgetii “White Stripe”
There are quite a few plants that always seem to be readily available on the Ecuagenera website, and the Anthurium forgetii “White Stripe” is one of them. You rarely have to (virtually) compete with another buyer to snatch one up, and the price is incredibly reasonable.
These plants are truly stunning, and they are very sturdy to boot. They acclimate extremely well and produce some of the most robust root systems of all my imported plants in a very short time. I would highly recommend this plant for beginners.
Anthurium villenaorum
I’ve saved the best for last― Anthurium villenaorum! Yes, it’s hard to pronounce without some oral gymnastics at first, but none of that matters when you see this plant in-person. The leaves are THICK and leather-like, but with a gleaming, velvety sheen. The contrast between the bright white veins and deep forest green is enough to give you heart palpitations. This one is definitely a must-have for your plant collection!
Check out these links for more Plant Hauls!
First Time Ordering Rare Plants From Overseas
Plant Haul: Black Jungle Terrarium Supply
Plant Hauls & Review: Plant Shopping on Amazon.com
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m quite satisfied with the quality of Ecuagenera’s plants, their price, and their service. They ship plants that are sizable (if not outright enormous) compared to other rare plant vendors. And the fact that their prices are so much more reasonable is the greatest draw.
It’s also nice to know that Ecuagenera is a company that advocates for conservation and grows everything that they sell. The last thing you want to do is buy from someone who poaches plants from the wild and causes irreversible damage to the rainforest ecosystem.
So if you’re interested in rare plants and don’t have a very big budget, do check out Ecuagenera’s website! I will definitely be purchasing additional plants from them in the future. I hope this Ecuagenera review and plant haul was helpful for prospective rare plant parents! If you have questions, be sure to drop them in the comments!
Always Keep Growing,
Heather (a.k.a. The Botanical Chick)
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