---
title: Shingle plant in a terrarium | Glass Jar Garden
description: Shingle plant (Marcgravia rectiflora): Flat leaves that shingle up bark and glass in a humid tank. Needs light 1,500 to 8,000 lux, humidity 70 to 100 % RH,...
url: https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/marcgravia-rectiflora/
---

Plants

# Shingle plant
Marcgravia rectiflora

Moderate · Closed jar only

Flat leaves that shingle up bark and glass in a humid tank.

## What the simulation uses

- Light: 1,500 to 8,000 lux (The brightness it grows well in.)

- Humidity: 70 to 100 % RH (Air moisture it is happy in; below the lower end it dries out.)

- Temperature: 18 to 29 °C (Comfortable range; outside it growth slows.)

- Dies at: below 12 or above 33 °C (Days beyond these temperatures kill it.)

- Soil pH: 5.5 to 6.5 pH (Soil acidity it prefers.)

- Grows up: 0.4 cm/month (How fast it gains height in good conditions.)

- Spreads: 1 cm/month (How fast its edge creeps outwards.)

- Copes with wet: fair (How well it stands soggy soil; poor means rot comes quickly.)

- Copes with still air: good (Sealed jars have still air; poor means grey mould finds it.)

- Copes with shade: good (How well it holds on in dim light.)

- Copes with drying: poor (How well it survives the jar drying out.)

- Water use: 0.04 ml/cm²/day (Water drawn up from its roots per cm² of leaves in room air; a sealed jar cuts this to a fraction and returns it down the glass.)

- Leaf drop: 1.5 %/month (Share of its leaves it sheds each month as litter for the cleanup crew.)

- Soft leaves: no (Soft new growth that hungry isopods will nibble.)

- Full size: 6.5 cm tall, 37.5 cm wide (Its size when grown, before the lid stops it.)

## Care

- Day length: 10 to 14 h

- Substrate: Moist

## What kills it

- dry air
- drying out

## Description
This climber needs very humid air, so it suits a closed tank. It is slow to settle in after planting, then grows steadily. Give it bark or a back wall to climb.

Also called shingle vine.

Estimated, where sources were thin: rates and limits are horticultural estimates, not measured.

## Sources

- [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcgravia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcgravia)

[Grow it in a jar](https://glassjar.garden/?guide=plants/marcgravia-rectiflora)

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