Nothing is more exotic than the bat flower plants resembling a bat 🦇. According to many gardeners, you can find black and white bat flowers. Both grow an unusual flower that you will learn more about now.
So, let’s brace ourselves for a journey in caring for this bat flower indoors. And if you do not already have one, check out our shop to make this bat plant part of your unusual flowering plants collection.
More About Tacca Chantrieri
The black bat flower is exotic looking. While challenging to grow, it remains a rewarding plant with an unusual flower texture, color, and shape. Whether growing the bat flowers in black or white, it looks like a bat.
The understory plants you find growing in Asia and Australia thrive in semi-tropical understory environments. Many refer to the bat flower as a tiger beard or a cat’s whiskers with long bracteoles.
The black bat flower is dark purple, while the Tacca integrifolia is the white bat plant that grows larger than the black variety. Both look dramatic in the garden but do not survive as long as a cut flower or vase.
The flowering plants bloom from late spring to early fall, and new blooms appear repeatedly during the growing season.
Tacca Chantrieri and Tacca Integrifolia Care
The bat plants are tropical species that can adapt to certain parts of the United States. But in some regions, you might need to create a microclimate for these delicate plants.
White and Black Bat Flower Lighting Needs
An important thing for the black and white bat plant is that it needs warm temperatures and partial shade. When planted outdoors, give your black bat flower plant a shady spot to receive indirect light. The same applies to growing bat flowers indoors.
Recommended Soil For White and Black Bat Flowers
Your bat flowers need well-draining potting soil with a lot of organic matter. Hence, it helps to amend the soil with pine bark, peat moss, and compost to help increase drainage. For growing this unusual plant in container gardening, amend it with 10% perlite and 50% soil with 40% amendment.
Watering Black and White Bat Flower Plants
Once you plant your bat flower in well-draining soil in a shady location, moisten the soil by watering frequently. Your deep purple or white bat plant must not dry out. So when you water 💦 keep checking the soil to prevent it from becoming too dry or soggy, leading to root rot.
Fertilizing the Ruffled Wings of The Devil Flower
The understory plant benefits from a liquid fertilizer made for orchids. You can apply it every week or use a slow-release fertilizer instead.
Temperature and Humidity For White and Black Bat Plant
The white and black bat plant cannot tolerate cold temperatures, and when it goes below 55°F, it can die. These plants are happy with a temperature between 70°F and 80°F. They can be grown indoors but will need constant moisture in a container. You can use a plant mister or humidifier to provide a high humidity to be grown successfully inside.
Growing The Devil Flower in Containers
When growing this unusual plant with bat wings indoors, place them near a window to receive indirect sunlight. Please provide ample air circulation and prevent them from becoming root bound.
If you notice them becoming root bound, provide them with a bigger container, which can be done yearly. Choose a wide shallow pot, as it works best. You can place your bat plant outdoors in the growing season from early to late summer but not in direct sun.
Propagating Tacca Chantrieri
You can propagate the bat flower using the seed pod but leave them to dry well. Seeds can take a while to germinate, and it is best to harvest the seed pods when mature, and they split open.
Other methods of propagating the cultivar with its long whiskers are through the tuberous root or taking a rhizome cutting.
You can divide the rhizomes in early fall and ensure to plant them three feet apart.
Common Pests and Diseases
Many pests do not bother the Tacca spp except for slugs and snails. It can decline rapidly with dry air and in direct sunlight without moisture.
Another concern is it needs good drainage to not become waterlogged, leading to root rot. So, if your black bat flower is on the soggy side, we recommend you improve drainage.
Also, bring them inside in winter as they cannot tolerate cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
The bat flower plant is rare and comes from southern China, where growth occurs as an understory species in tropical climates.
Yes, it is considered an endangered species resulting from climate change.
The exotic plant symbolizes strong awareness and intuition. In some legends, it is also believed to invite evil spirits, hence the devil flower.
Much info says that this plant is an orchid, but it belongs to the Yam family, where the orchid belongs to the Orchidaceae family.
These exotic blooms have bright green leaves with a flower growing on a stem from the center of the plant. It forms a white or purple cluster with two bracts resembling the wings of a bat.
The black and white bat plant is mostly an understory specimen growing in China.
Whether you want to buy, sell, or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!
