h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello everybody! I went and got some more photos of the Ceropegias in the plant house. First of all, the stems of Ceropegia stapeliiformis:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/Ceropegiastapeliiformisstems.jpg

These stems are thick for a Ceropegia (reaching about a third of an inch in diameter, or 8-9 mm - maybe more for a very old plant; mine are still young) and also leafless. They have a strange, roughish texture, and are weirdly mottled. The stems lengthen fairly rapidly and will climb up trees and shrubs, twining around them.

Compare now the stems and leaves of Ceropegia woodii:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/Ceropegiawoodiistemsandleaves.jpg

This species occurs in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Its stems are very thin, about a millimetre in diameter (1/25 of an inch) and trail over the ground. Every now and then the stem reroots in the ground, forming small, round tubers at the rooting points. These bear leaves, somewhat thick and fleshy, heart-shaped and attractively mottled.

Ceropegia woodii is also easily cultivated: merely detach a bit of stem with a tuber, and plant with the tuber in the ground - the top of the tuber can be exposed - and it will carry on growing and rooting at new points and making new tubers. It is a great plant for hanging baskets ... the stems will trail over the edges and droop down, so the flowers can be admired:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/Ceropegiawoodiiflower.jpg

These flowers are tiny - about an inch/2.5 cm long - but delicate and wonderfully weird. They're more typical of the genus: a basal swelling, then a narrow tube, that widens towards the opening, with the dark-purple, hairy petals at the tip curving inward. I must sometime dissect a flower to see what goes on inside ...

Here's a comparison between the flowers of Ceropegia woodii and Ceropegia stapeliiformis:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/stapeliiformiswoodiicomparison.jpg

At any rate: Ceropegias are very rewarding little plants to grow. (Bear in mind that they can't stand heavy frosts and are best cultivated indoors in cold regions.) I've another species, Ceropegia crassifolia, but they are not flourishing as well as the stapeliiformis and woodiis - they tend to die back and re-sprout periodically, and mine are currently in the die-back stage. But they have flowered before and I'll watch and if I get some new flowers I'll take photos of them as well.

*sigh*. I just want a link to this journal entry!