Bloom boom: Malaysians get passionate about pot plants

A worker removing soil from a caladium plant before putting it into a bottle for shipment at a nursery in Sungai Besar, outside Kuala Lumpur. - AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (AFP): Learning to tell your elephant ears from your flamingo flowers has become the latest virus lockdown escape in Malaysia, where houseplants are very much in season.

Collectors are searching out specimens with intricate patterns in a dazzling array of reds, yellows and greens, and sharing their best on social media.