Araña x Stripey

Buz Plants bred both Araña and this Araña × Stripey cross. Araña takes its name from the Spanish word for “spider,” a fitting name for its striking, minimal veining. I purchased two seedlings from Buz Plants. One died shortly afterward; this is the plant that remained.

For roughly its first six leaves, this plant showed little to no visible veining. It grew slowly and kept me guessing. I wondered whether the batch had been mixed up with another dark velvet plant, perhaps a BVEP, or whether this seedling was simply taking its time before showing what it was doing. Then the peach veins began to appear. They meet at the top of the dark blade and extend outward in long, slender arcs, with finer lines branching away across the surface. Against the nearly black foliage, the pattern feels both spare and dramatic. The leaf also has the subtly pebbled, elephant-skin texture associated with its Stripey pollen parent.

I love the peach veining. It is an unusual color on a plant of this lineage, usually reserved for red crystallinums, and its restrained pattern makes every line count. After so many quiet leaves, seeing this plant reveal itself has made it all the more rewarding to grow. I still hope to add Tim Anderson’s original Stripey to my collection someday.