Jim, I'm freaking out right now.
Why have I never seen this plant before?
>> Because it's very unusual.
>> I mean, I've been building ponds a long time.
I've bought a lot of aquatic plants from you, and I just-
>> Yeah, that's true.
We are selling it but it's just now getting out there.
>> You need to tell me more about it.
Where's it from?
How big does it get?
I mean, I need to know everything.
This thing is- >> Well,
I actually ran across it off the Amazon in Brazil.
And I loved it and- >> So
you've seen it naturally occurring?
>> Yes, absolutely that's where I found them.
>> Well that's amazing.
>> Yes, it's very cool.
>> Look at- >> So, yeah what you can see is
it's actually live bearing, you've got all kinds of pups.
See, here's a good size- >> Yeah.
>> Young fern coming right off of it.
And there's all kinds of babies, even on this leaf.
All those individuals.
>> All those individuals, like this is one right here?
>> Right, that's a [LAUGH].
Yeah, we will be frisking as you leave.
>> Oh my gosh.
This is really amazing.
>> And this is- >> How big does it get?
>> This gets probably- >> It's huge.
>> At least three feet across and three feet high.
>> It's already huge.
>> Yeah.
>> Where's the water height? The height is like this big.
So it comes from Brazil?
>> It comes from Brazil.
>> Three foot across.
So how big is this one piece?
This one piece, how big does it get?
Right now it's around ten inches.
>> Actually you're right.
It'll get more than three feet.
Now that I look at it.
>> More than three feet.
>> Yeah. Is it so rare you don't even know?
>> This is almost three feet now.
>> How deep was the water where you found it?
>> It was just a tributary of the Amazon, so it wasn't that deep.
And it was kind of caught up among the shallows.
>> And the water was just rushing through it.
>> Yeah, slowly through it, and
I didn't even realize what the final shape was.
See this is like a staghorn fern.
>> Yes. >> You know what a staghorn
fern looks like?
>> And I love staghorn ferns, that is why it is freaking me out, right?
>> It is the same concept.
When a staghorn fern first grows, it grows flat shield plates on it and
that corresponds roughly to what you see here.
These broad- >> That's the baby?
>> Yeah, these are the babies >> That's the young stuff.
>> There's probably six or eight baby plants there.
>> They look like completely different plants.
And they complement each other.
I mean, when you saw this in the wild like this, these big ones and
these ones all growing around the bottom of them?
>> Well, actually I more saw the small ones and
I didn't even realize how big it got or what it looked like.
In my right hand is a true baby, and
when those grow a little bit bigger, they grow.
>> Are they called babies?
>> Pups, I call them pups.
>> Okay.
>> And it's viviparous again, this is a viviparous plant, live bearing.
And then when they get bigger they form these large,
what I call shield fronds, like a staghorn fern would have.
>> Okay.
>> And then the more mature form is a very intricate,
lacy, delicate, much larger leaf.
>> Right, it looks so intricate and delicate.
That's a really good description.
>> That would correspond to the so-called antlers on
a staghorn fern.
>> So over winter, if this plant died every year, I would buy more.
>> Good. >> Every year, like an annual.
I think it is so cool.
But I would want to try and- >> Absolutely.
>> I mean, I'm in southern California,
I should be able to over winter this thing.
Or I'm just going to make a green house.
I'm stuttering cuz is this thing is so cool.
What's the lowest temperature it can handle you think?
55, I mean?
>> It handles temperatures in the 30s here.
>> No kidding.
>> Because we don't heat our greenhouses.
So, an unheated greenhouse in a cold snap.
>> Hits 30 inside?
>> Oh yeah.
>> Oh, this is gonna do fine at my place.
>> Yeah the water temperature's gonna be in the 30s.
>> I'm never gonna wanna sell one though.
I just wanna keep them all for myself.
>> You might change your mind, given how fast they can multiply,
if they like the conditions.
They're a little temperamental.
>> I mean the roots are very cool.
>> If they like the conditions.
>> The roots are super cool.
>> And we're gonna be potting them up and offering them potted as well.
>> You pot these?
>> We can, yeah.
>> I don't want mine potted.
>> [LAUGH] You don't have to.
>> I think that's part of how cool it is, it's floating.
>> Yeah, it is.
It is cool.
>> And I know of floating fern, like salvinia,
they call that floating fern, right?
>> Right, it is a fern.
>> And what about the azolla, they call that a floating fern, right?
>> It is a fern.
>> I didn't know there was a giant one.
>> Yeah. It's a completely
different category.
>> Man.
This is it, man.
This is it for me.