The Elusive Black Velvet Plant | Anthurium Antolakii

[@Calhyn]

Love it! Carlablackiea next please

[@plantgayforlife]

😉

[@Calhyn]

@@plantgayforlife *squeals in excitement*

[@jessicabellone913]

Well done Jake, as always. I really appreciate the detailed information you give to us regular people that probably have no clue about this stuff. I recently just purchased a few BVEP hybrid seedlings. While I love the beauty of all these plants I definitely don’t want to contribute to their destruction. Thanks so much my friend 😊 I will do more research into this topic.

[@plantgayforlife]

I’m so glad to hear that! I hope to shift the narrative and bring greater awareness with these videos😁❤️

[@jessicabellone913]

@@plantgayforlife Well, you definitely are and I genuinely appreciate you.

[@evadyre5843]

I could listen to this stuff all day, super informative and relaxing :)

[@plantgayforlife]

Glad you enjoy it!🤓

[@akashpathak7182]

I wait for this kind of presentation of you . Nicely done 👍

[@Trants25]

Very informative! love these videos, more please 😊

[@passionateplantperson]

As Always… amazing video Jake! Thank you 😊

[@KathyGallagher01]

Love the gems of knowledge you take the time to share with us, thank you Jake 👌

[@plantgayforlife]

My pleasure!

[@SplashOfGreen]

Your informative/educational videos are always top notch quality!

[@LeafyConversations]

It’s always about the $$$ sadly Jake 😢 Thank you for making these videos I really learn a lot from them.

[@venussandiego8425]

Great job! It’s like watching NATGEO, live the way you narrate .

[@plantgayforlife]

Thank you😁

[@cellobella7044]

Exactly! Jake @plantgayforlife , have you thought of sending these to any community TV stations?

[@plantgayforlife]

Nope! Just KZbin! I don’t want them ripping me off😂

[@cellobella7044]

@@plantgayforlife true! 😅. maybe skillshare? not sure but jussayin your history videos are great quality says the person who used to work in that industry

[@Mllascelles1]

Well done and thank you as always!

[@ryanlatterell2079]

Absolitely LOVE that youve done this! I giess im a LITTLE guilty of plant hoarding myself, with close to 200 in my home, and watching them morph and poison these plants to get more exotic colors out of them is a little sad, BUT, im so glad youve made this video! Sharing!

[@plantgayforlife]

Thank you for sharing!

[@Anthuriumaesthetic]

Great video🫶🏻🫶🏻

[@sergiogg25]

Great video! Thank you!

[@Peonyfrydekmom]

Hi! I came across with your video and I love how you make this video the suspense, voice,music. 10/10 it make me think of Morgan Freeman.

[@keyahsblair]

Thanks babe!💚🌱🤌🏾

[@pranesh3050]

This is a great start to my weekend

[@alicialow7224]

Love your videos! Recently got into the houseplant hobby about 5 months ago. Your videos are both informative & entertaining like that of a documentary! Much love from Malaysia 🇲🇾

[@plantgayforlife]

That’s awesome my videos have reached Malaysia! Thank you for watching🙏💗

[@blessedhummingbird4]

Great video!

[@MyLocsMyPlants]

teach us more !!!! lol 💚

[@ericaeschenbacher4921]

Lovely video, important messages. Well done Jake 😻

[@plantgayforlife]

Thanks for watching as always Erica!☺️

[@manuelmcm6466]

I just discovered your channel, you have excellent videos, I really appreciate you sharing such good information.

[@plantgayforlife]

Thanks for saying that! I appreciate you watching!😄🙏

[@smajliiicka]

Oops, Jake, did it again😅 good job ❤️✨ Butterfly effect, how fitting with the pap...

[@plantgayforlife]

Im not that innocent 🪭

[@ShariefKhan-b2q]

This is soooo cool, omg I didn't know this! From now on, I will be more weary from buying plants , in order not to support this problem of poaching. Could you do a video on how to know if a plant is being poached and sold to you , so that the general public could know not to buy poached specimens - a guy from south africa 🇿🇦

[@plantgayforlife]

Hey guy from South Africa!👋that’s a good video idea. I just might do that!

[@astilafreniere]

I didn’t know this. Thank you

[@como81]

Beautiful doc! Congrats!! ❤

[@JuanLopez-rz2ku]

Please sir, can I have some more (especially videos like this one) 👏👏👏

[@plantgayforlife]

Coming right up!

[@paxleidig5327]

Do you write your own material? Erudite yet engaging with such a soothing voice...and that videography OMG. Young man, if you don't already have an agent, you need one. And he sings too?! Amazing!

[@plantgayforlife]

Yup! I write my scripts. (And my songs)😉 and produce it all myself. No editors.

[@paxleidig5327]

Simply amazing! I can't believe you're a STRUGGLING artist. Seems to me that with some good promotion, you could be busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! 😁 Glad to see KZbin is filling a niche for you though. I'm certainly enjoying (and learning from) your creativity! 🥂 Cheers!

[@sarahg282]

Love ❤

[@growthbydhar]

❤❤ next numbered RA papillilaminum & carlablackiae please!

[@brittarogan2476]

Love these docu style videos , I always learn something and your voice is very suited to it!

[@lorifenner4048]

💚👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@evand5553]

You are a fantastic narrator

[@plantgayforlife]

Thx!😁

[@sz1502]

great info

[@plantswithjoshua]

Wonderful video. Unfortunately many people up north in Canada are totally fine and complacent with poaching, so long as they get the cheapest price possible. It's ridiculous!

[@plantgayforlife]

I hope these videos will be shared around and change the narrative in the aroid hobby!

[@anniehad3848]

Really impressive! I think you've found your "thing" as a plant youtuber, besides your beautiful collection and great advise on aesthetic and care! Good job as always 🥰🫶

[@natjoy22]

Those damn price gougers.

[@plantgayforlife]

🤌

[@dylanmelville5968]

Need to order one immediately

[@plantgayforlife]

There are lots of breeders on Facebook groups if you’re looking for a pure seedling 😊

[@dylanmelville5968]

@@plantgayforlife I’m looking for one do u have anyone in particular I can order from? I reached out to Rory and his salesman to buy from them but still waiting to hear back

[@plantgayforlife]

Scott Cohen, Rory’s salesman, has a popular plant sale on the Facebook group Time to Splurge and Purge every Sunday night. He sells pure species on there sometimes. He takes a while to respond but he might have a seedling to sell you😉

[@dylanmelville5968]

@@plantgayforlife yeah I got a price quote 😂😂😂😂 350 for a babyyyyyyy. I figured it would be expensive but shit I’m a full time nursing student so budget is a bit tight

[@plantgayforlife]

Yeahhh pure species are more expensive. I hope to pollinate mine and sell some in the future

[@LeafyConversations]

It’s sad that our need for social media and “want of certain plants” has caused the deaths of these plants being poached.

[@plantgayforlife]

Luckily many of these areas are very remote and hard to access. And the aroid mania has died down. But hopefully these videos bring more awareness and spark more conversation :)

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

You and I are on the same page with the price gouging. These guys paid literally nothing for the original stock and sell clones or progeny it for huge prices out of sheer greed. When I worked in the tropical fish hobby, Heiko Bleher had discovered a new species of Rainbowfish and brought back 100 specimens. The trip, which the company I worked for partially funded, cost $100K, and he paid none of it. When he brought the fish back, he wanted to charge us $5000 per pair to use for breeding. Other than his time, they cost him nothing and he wanted to charge that because only he knew the collection location. Yes, I hate him.

[@plantgayforlife]

Sadly there’s always people in hobbies in it for the wrong reasons

[@troll65667]

I didn't know that the Papi extincted in nature... it's a shame. I'm not very deep in Anthuriums because I think most of them are unreasonable expensive in Germany. But a few weeks ago I stumbled over a private seller and bought some beautiful little hybrids for 2€ per seedling. I'm very curious how they will look when they grow bigger.

[@plantgayforlife]

Hybrids are the way to go! They are hardier and much more sustainable. Pap is not extinct in the wild, there are still untouched remote populations out there. But it has been massively poached recently along with the others mentioned. And it very well could still be poached going forward if the demand stays high and the supply doesn’t keep up.

[@akashpathak7182]

@@plantgayforlife Tissue culture may solve some of the problem.

[@Bonginspector69]

I’m sorry, what’s to say Rory isn’t a poacher?

[@plantgayforlife]

There have been several accusations but at this point they seem to be just that. Accusations. And from what I’ve learned, it’s apparently common practice for botanists to collect wild specimens without a permit due to central and South American country’s strict and complicated laws around it. At this point I think the most important thing is sustainability. If a potentially new species is collected from the wild to be studied and published, that’s one thing. Collecting many wild specimens all at once for the sake of profit is another thing.

[@obambagaming1467]

​@@plantgayforlife tbh altough those are just accusations, it would actually make sense. If someone knows the location of a rare plant, and poaches them for profit, ofc that person doesn't want others to know the locations. I hope that those accusations arent true

[@obambagaming1467]

Nepenthes also suffer immensely from poaching, and some are thought to have gone extinct in the wild or atleast in certain areas. Some special location exclusive variangs of some special are only alive thanks to breeders. I am actually kind of worried that a newly discovered, and probably very rare, Nepenthes will suffer the same fate. I forgot its name, but the special part about it is that it produces most of its pitchers below ground, the only known Nepenthes so far. Altough having this plant removes one of the main points why people keep Nepenthes (to look at the pitchers), the fact that this plant is rare and special will make it popular regardlesS

[@plantgayforlife]

I just heard that Nepenthes clipeata only had 15 known specimens in habitat and they were all recently poached.😔

[@obambagaming1467]

@@plantgayforlife the only chance for them in nature is rewildering them (through pure seeds) from breeders. But there are several problems. First of all there are some genetic and other differences between plants of the same species but from different locations. So that needs to be taken into account to not harm genetic diversity. They must be 100% be sure that those are pure seeds and not some hybrids. The goverments of those countries also need to agree to this. Lastly the locations need to be kept secret, which isn't that easy, especially if the species had a small range to begin with. Also that one Nepenthes I was talking about (that one with the underground pitchers) is Nepenthes pudica. So far I havent seen any collector or breeder having this plant.

[@plantgayforlife]

In your opinion what would be the negative impacts of reintroducing hybrids as opposed to pure species? Assuming they function in that ecosystem in a similar way. I’ve had this conversation with someone who ruled out tissue cultured specimens for example.

[@obambagaming1467]

@@plantgayforlife hybrids might outcompete other Nepenthes, including their parent species. They tend to be hardier and more adabtable. It also makes a difference if a hybrid is introduced to an area where it naturally appears, or if only one or even none of its parents come from that area. Protecting natural hybrids is as important as protecting pure species. But if I for example release hundreds of seeds of an hybrid in the area where it naturally occurs, but not seeds of the parents species as well, then I am giving the hybrid an unfair advantage over it's parents. Then the parents species will have a higher chance to hybridise again with the hybrid or the other pure species, lowering the rate of seeds produced that contain pure species even more. There needs to be a balance. Things are especially complicated with Nepenthes, since they have male and female plants, instead of both sexes

[@goncalodias1975]

Crowdfund a TC lab that gets the plants from collectors. When they are set up and running, crowdfund for each plant separately. Be ready to pay extra for what might go wrong in lab/shipping or if you order after a certain date. Add external logistic and import fee according to buyers country. Until people receive the plants, no one really knows the price, but they will know they won't get a better deal. Any plant with a different DNA will automatically know to be poached unless there was an issued permit.

[@plantswithjoshua]

This. We need to make these plants more accessible but not through poaching.

[@DarienGape-o3t]

Is this the same guy that was harassing world renowned botanist, Jay Vannini, with fake accounts after he stopped responding to him? It kinda sounds like him. 🤔

[@plantgayforlife]

I never harassed anyone. I emailed him multiple times in 2021 with plant-related questions because I wanted to learn more from an expert in the field. Eventually he stopped answering. 2 years later I emailed him one time with a different account, since I assumed he’d blocked my main account. I asked if I could license his website photos. When he found out it was me, he told me off for “wasting” his time 2 years prior with “dead end queries.” It seemed he was still very offended that I didn’t have deep enough pockets to buy any of his plants, but still was eager to pick his brain and learn more from him. And I shared his nasty email with the plant community to show everyone that he indeed lives up to the (not my words) “elitist asshole” reputation he holds in the aroid trade. I don’t care how “world renowned” he is. He is a man of zero grace.

[@aleksandras.5277]

I bet that bunch of Karens surrounding Antolak is more interested in him than in his anthurium 🌴