White Bat Plant

White Bat Plant (Tacca integrifolia) is grown for one of the strangest flowers you can put in a garden. Above broad tropical leaves it lifts a pair of white bracts like folded wings, with long dark whiskers trailing well below them, on a plant that reaches only about 1m tall and 60cm across. It is a collector's plant, not a beginner's, and it rewards a shaded, warm, humid position with a flower nobody else on the street will have.

Why you'll love it

• A genuinely unusual flower. White bracts, deep purple centres and whiskers up to 30cm long make it one of the most talked about plants in a shade garden.
• It wants the position most plants refuse. Deep shade under a canopy or on a covered patio is exactly where it performs.
• Compact enough for a pot. At 1m by 60cm it suits a container on a sheltered verandah, where you can control humidity and move it out of cold snaps.
• Long flowering in warmth. Given steady heat and humidity it produces flushes of flowers through the warm months rather than a single brief display.

Where it works best

Feature planting in deep shade. Under an established canopy in a tropical or subtropical garden is where it looks most at home. Give it a spot you walk past, because the flowers deserve a close look.

Pots and containers. A pot is the safest choice outside the tropics, since you can shift it under cover before the first cold night and keep the mix consistently moist.

Indoors. It will grow as a houseplant in a bright, warm bathroom or a room with a humidifier. Dry indoor air is the usual cause of failure, not low light.

Growing white bat plant in Australia

Position and climate. Deep to dappled shade, never direct sun. This is a tropical and subtropical plant only. It is frost tender, so anywhere with cold winters it must be grown in a pot and brought under cover, or treated as an indoor plant.

Soil. Rich, open and free draining, with plenty of compost or an orchid style mix opened up with bark. It wants moisture without sitting in water, a balance easier to strike in a pot than in heavy garden soil.

Water and feed. Keep the mix evenly moist through the warm months and mist or group plants together to hold humidity around the leaves. Ease back in winter when growth slows. A dilute liquid feed every three to four weeks during active growth suits it.

Pruning. Nothing structural. Cut spent flower stems at the base and remove tired leaves as they yellow, which keeps the clump tidy and airflow good.

What to expect when it arrives

Four sizes are grown: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, 180mm in packs of six and 200mm in packs of six. Tubes are young plants that need a season or two in a protected spot before they flower, while the 180mm and 200mm plants are established and much closer to flowering size.

This is a soft leaved tropical, so expect some leaf tatter after transit. It is normal and grows out once the plant settles. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse exotic and rare plants
• Growing exotic plants indoors
• Plants for full shade
• Companions from the tropical garden range

Common questions

Can I grow it outside the tropics?

Yes, but in a pot. It is frost tender and needs warmth and humidity, so in temperate gardens it lives outdoors in summer shade and comes under cover before winter.

Why are the leaf edges browning?

Almost always dry air or dry mix. Raise humidity by grouping plants, sitting the pot on a pebble tray, or moving it somewhere more sheltered.

How long do the flowers last?

Individual flowers hold for two to three weeks, and a healthy plant produces several through the warm season. Cutting spent stems encourages the next flush.