Cute as a button

Third time’s a charm - I hope? I have successfully killed two mattress button plants, but yesterday I bought a third to try again. The mattress button plant, Dorstenia elata, is an endangered plant (in the wild) that originally comes from the wet tropical region of the Atlantic Forest - a region down the east coast of Brazil (along the Atlantic Ocean, surprise, surprise). It’s a member of the Moraceae family - the same as mulberries and figs.

In their original habitat they are an understory plant and happily grow in low light, moist conditions making it an ideal houseplant. In theory anyway. The last two I killed were outside, so this one I’m trying indoors, where I can at least admire it more in case it follows the path of the other two! The key is (apparently) to never let them dry out completely (my first death) but not keep them too wet (the second death).

The leaves are glossy dark green, slightly textured with their vein patterns but the main appeal of the plant is the inflorescence which aptly resembles a mattress button! They are flattish discs called hypanthodium, composed of tiny male and female flowers and remind me a little of a weird inverted mushroom. They are produced all year round (so I read, I haven’t had one for a whole year yet to confirm!) and are beautiful dark purple and held relatively high above the foliage. The species name ‘elata’ comes from the Latin ‘elatus’ which means lofty or high.

Despite being endangered in their native habitat they are cheap and relatively easy to source from some of the more specialised indoor plant nurseries online (or, as I’ve found mine, at local tropical shows). They are a quirky addition to your collection, and worth a shot (or two or three).