Plant Profile: Scindapsus Mount Salak

My Scindapsus Mount Salak mother plant on a white support trellis. Photo taken by me.

INTRODUCTION

Scindapsus Mount Salak, also referred to as Scindapsus sp. Gunung Salak in the local Sundanese dialect, is a type of Scindapsus pictus that was imported from Indonesia and introduced into the United States market during the pre-pandemic plant boom of 2018-2021. I’m not aware if this plant was previously discovered or widely available for purchase before this point, but the first time I encountered this plant on social media was in 2021 when I purchased mine.

ORIGIN

Mount Salak, a dormant volcano, rises up from the dense forests of West Java to tower over the suburbs of Jakarta, one of the most populated cities on the planet. Bogor is one of these small and unassuming suburbs, known to few internationally except those well-versed in the rare plant trade. This city is home to the beating heart of Indonesia’s horticultural industry and a myriad of plant sellers, large and small, who export thousands of plants per year all over the world to thriving markets in the US and the EU. One such Aroid farmer from Bogor christened a newly discovered Scindapsus with a name that matched both the plant’s locality and it’s beauty: Scindapsus sp. Gunung Salak. In the local Sundanese dialect, the word “salaka,” means silver, and “gunung,” means mountain; resulting in the English translation of “silver mountain.”

View of Mount Salak. Image provided by the Global Volcanism Program via Google Images

GEOGRAPHY

Understanding the climate and geography where a plant originally comes from can help us better care for it within our home biome, so let’s learn more about what Scindapsus Mount Salak’s natural habitat is like.

View of the Nangka Waterfalls in Mount Halimun Salak State Park. Image provided by Reddit uder u/adi7 on r/EarthPorn via Google Images/Pinterest.

Mount Salak, which sits at the western end of West Java Island, is a part of the tropical rainforest biome which typically has high heat, humidity, and rainfall due to their proximity to the equator. The nearest city to Mount Salak, Bogor, is nicknamed “rain city,” due to the high amount of rainfall the area receives. According to weather data, it rains in Bogor about 239 days a year, or roughly 65% of the time. The average temperatures in this city range between 68-79 degrees Fahrenheit. Mount Salak itself stands 7,254 ft tall, but since Scindapsus Mount Salak was discovered at the base of the mountain, we will not discuss the climate and geography of the higher elevations in-depth.

Based on this information, we can infer that Scindapsus Mount Salak would prefer similar temperature, humidity, and moisture levels in our home if possible. My biggest takeaway from this information would be to never let the plant dry out since it’s used to high rainfall and humidity in its natural habitat.

CHARACTERISTICS

Scindapsus sp. Gunung Salak, also referred to as Scindapsus Mount Salak/Mt. Salak, is a form or mutation of Scindapsus pictus that has the characteristic ovate leaf form with a heart-shaped base with green coloration. However, the coloring and pattern on the leaves of this special plant set it apart from its pictus peers.

Scindapsus Mount Salak mother plant on a coco coir/moss mix pole, growing in my friend Will’s outdoor greenhouse. Photo taken by me.

The plant is aptly named “silver mountain” because of the dappled/glitchy silver pattern overlaid atop the deep emerald green leaf base. There are several different shades of silver within the pattern, ranging from a bright almost white color to more muted steely gray and minty tones. The pattern resembles that of a Silver Duchess or a Silver Shield, but in my opinion, Mount Salak is the most beautiful of all three.

Top cutting of Scindapsus Mount Salak from my mother plant, which exhibits desirable coloration and pattern on the leaves. Photo taken by me.

The base color of the leaf is a dark emerald green. Emergent leaves start off as a bright emerald that darken as they harden off. The characteristic Mount Salak leaf pattern may not be visible until new leaves harden off/mature. The primary center vein is a deep emerald green that pops out against the silvery pattern surrounding it and matches the base leaf color (it can even appear darker).

CARE OBSERVATIONS

After two years of caring for my own Scindapsus Mount Salak, I would give it an intermediate level of difficulty and care mainly because it does take a little consideration and care to produce the most desirable silver pattern on the leaves.

Like many other Scindapsus, this plant can tolerate lower light levels (not no light though). However, the silvery pattern may not be as apparent in plants exposed to less light. In my experience, I find that Scindapsus with any sort of pattern or variegation benefit from regular feeding and fertilizing with a full-spectrum product, and do even better when you use supplements like silica, calcium, magnesium, etc.

Scindapsus Mount Salak can be grown with or without a support (moss pole, trellis, etc.) in the home based on your preferences. In my experiences and observations, I notice that this plant (like other Scindapsus) produces new growth faster when you provide some type of support. I also notice that plants with good support tend to have an easier time getting that lovely silver pattern that is characteristic of this plant.

Scindapsus are epiphytic in their natural habitat, which means that they grow by attaching to another plant and taking in nutrients, air, and water via aerial roots. While they are able to be grown without a support, this is not in line with their true nature so the growth can be suboptimal in terms of leaf size and pattern/variegation.

PROVENANCE

I originally sourced this plant in 2021 from Thien Nguyen (and his sister Christine), a reputable seller based in Orange County CA. Thien is well-respected within the Scindapsus collectors community on Facebook Groups where he can be found selling rare beauties or being generally helpful. Based on old conversations with him, it appears that he originally purchased 10 of 15 available plants back in 2020 from a farmer in Indonesia who said those plants were collected from the base of Mount Salak.

I have also obtained this plant through local San Diego collector, dear friend, and occasional business partner Will Raschke. Available items sourced from Will’s collection can be purchased through my shop, as he is largely inactive in the online community these days as his life has gotten much busier.