Biophytum zenkeri

Biophytum zenkeri, often called the little tree plant, is one of the most charming miniature houseplants you can grow. A single slender stem is topped with a perfect whorl of delicate, palm-like leaflets, giving it the look of a tiny tropical tree just a few centimetres tall. Most enchanting of all, the leaflets gently fold up at night and when touched, a trait it shares with its relative the sensitive plant.

Naturally tiny, humidity-loving and slow-growing, it is the ideal candidate for terrarium plants collections, bottle gardens and bell jars, where its love of moist, still air is perfectly met. It also makes a delightful curiosity on a bright, warm windowsill for anyone who enjoys the more unusual end of the houseplant world.

How to care for it

The golden rule with biophytum is never to let it dry out, it will collapse dramatically if the compost goes dry. Keep it consistently moist, warm and humid in bright but indirect light, and it will happily produce its little fans of leaflets and even tiny yellow flowers.

• Light: bright, indirect or dappled
• Water: keep constantly moist, never dry
• Humidity: high; ideal for terrariums
• Temperature: warm, 18-26C