There was a linear decrease in plant quality for all
genera with time, although all genera tested tolerated
simulated shipping for 14 days without large losses in plant
quality. Except for Aphelandra, all other genera were com
mercially unacceptable after 28 days simulated shipment,
which is in contrast with acceptable quality for most large
foliage plant genera tested previously (3, 6, 8).
Comparing grade losses due to shipping duration across
the genera tested shows some interesting trends. Aphe
landra had the smallest decrease in quality (0.9 of a grade)
with increased duration as compared to the other genera.
Both Nephrolepis and Maranta (Fig. 1) lost about 2.5
grades, or more than 50% of total quality after 28 days of
simulated shipment, with other genera losing 1.0 to 2.0
grades. Small foliage plants utilized in these experiments
tolerated only 7 to 14 days of simulated shipment without
large losses in plant grade, although careful selection of
shipping temperature could partly compensate for long