RustyExotics Nursery

Typhonium cf. laoticum
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Typhonium have always been a favorite of mine. They are weird and unique in the best way possible. The only issue I have with them is that they can be so difficult to find available! I am so happy to say that I was able to massively expand my collection this year, and I’m beyond excited to see it all grow and flower.
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Habenaria Arbor Vitae
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This plant hardly needs an introduction anymore. Tall, floriferous, and highly fringed, it can’t get better! Or can it? I registered this hybrid back in 2022 and have since made a handful of new crosses with it. Many of these crosses take the breeding line in a slightly different direction, but I have continuously worked on maximizing size, fringe, and shape. Last year (2025), I registered Pectabenaria Vermis (Pe. Maxdusa x Hab. Arbor Vitae) and am beyond happy with the results. The first bloom of those plants showed massive potential, so I only expect better this year!
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Catasetum (dupliciscutula x John C. Burchett)
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I dropped the ball! I’m traveling all through September and wasn’t able to take enough video to last the whole month, so that means it’s time to share a bunch of the pictures I never got around to sorting.
Catasetum dupliciscutula is my favorite species of the genus, and it creates some really wonderful, LARGE hybrids. The entire breeding line is relatively new, and they are already some seriously impressive flowers! I really cannot wait to grow, bloom, and create more of these.
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See you somewhere 😉

There’s still plenty to learn on Sunday at the Tropical Plant Expo.

Sunday’s lineup takes us from the big picture of aroid research in South America to the fascinating world of geophytic aroids, then back home to our own collections with a fresh look at how understanding a plant’s natural habitat can change the way we grow it. You’ll also have the chance to get hands-on with Bill Rotolante’s moss pole workshop, where you can put some of that growing knowledge into practice.

Join Dr. Tom Croat, Nicholas Rust, Dana Washington (Leafy Diva), and William Rotolante for a day of research, exploration, practical plant knowledge, and hands-on learning.

Swipe through to meet Sunday’s lineup and see what’s on the schedule at the 2026 IAS Tropical Plant Expo

📍 Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo
📅 Sunday, September 20
🎟️ www.aroid.org/expo

Odontoglossum Teighmore
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This is probably the only time you’ll see one of these on this page. Although now lumped into Oncidium, the formerly-know-as Odontoglossum are gorgeous, colorful, floriferous plants that require damp conditions and cooler temps (which leads to their demise in my growing conditions). Miraculously, I have not only kept this one alive for over a year but also managed to get this small inflorescence, too! I’m unsure of the long term survivability of this plant with me, but I’ll keep on caring for it and enjoying it thoroughly.
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