Ceropegia sandersonii
| Light | Bright, indirect light; a few hours of gentle sun encourages flowering |
|---|---|
| Water | Moderately in growth, letting the top of the mix dry between waterings; much drier and cooler in winter |
| Soil | Free-draining but slightly retentive succulent mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Warmth-loving; protect from frost, USDA zones 10–11 |
| Propagation | Stem cuttings (easy); also seed |
| Toxicity | Not known to be significantly toxic to cats and dogs |
Ceropegia sandersonii is a climbing, twining succulent from southern Africa, grown above all for its extraordinary flowers: pale green, up to 7 cm long, each ending in a wide, membrane-webbed canopy that looks uncannily like an open parachute or a little fountain. These give it the common names parachute plant and fountain flower. Like other members of the genus Ceropegia, the blooms are not ordinary nectar flowers but temporary insect traps that briefly detain small flies to carry out pollination.
Description
Ceropegia sandersonii is a semi-succulent vine with slender, fleshy, twining stems that scramble up through neighbouring vegetation or over a support. The leaves are small, thick and heart-shaped, and are often shed or reduced in dry spells, leaving the green stems to do much of the plant's photosynthesis. The rootstock is a cluster of fleshy, cylindrical roots rather than a water-storing tuber, and the fleshy stems and leaves themselves hold the moisture reserves that carry the plant through drought.
The flowers are the main event. Each is a tube several centimetres long, inflated at the base, that flares open at the tip into five lobes joined at their tips into a broad, flat-topped canopy — the "parachute". The whole structure is pale green, veined and translucent, and the throat is lined with fine, downward-pointing hairs. Small flies are lured inside by scent, held for a few days by the slippery walls and hairs (unharmed), then released dusted with pollen as the flower ages and the hairs wither. This is a pollination trick, not a carnivorous one — the plant gains nothing but a pollinator visit.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to southern Africa, occurring in eastern South Africa (notably in and around the KwaZulu-Natal region), Eswatini and southern Mozambique. It grows in warm, frost-free bush and thicket, twining up through shrubs and grasses that give its stems both support and light shade, and rooting in soils that drain freely but are not bone-dry through the growing season.
Cultivation
Ceropegia sandersonii is one of the easier trailing succulents to please and adapts well to a bright windowsill, a hanging pot or a small trellis. Give it bright, mostly indirect light with perhaps a little gentle direct sun, and a warm position — it dislikes cold, and should be kept above freezing at all times. Grow it in a free-draining but not purely mineral mix, and let the surface dry between waterings during active growth; see Watering for general technique.
Through the cooler months, reduce watering considerably and keep the plant on the dry side, which suits its natural resting period and helps prevent rot. The twining stems will climb a support or spill attractively from a hanging pot; pinching the tips encourages a fuller, branched plant. Repot infrequently, when the roots fill the container — see Repotting.
Propagation
The parachute plant is very easily increased from stem cuttings. A length of stem laid on or lightly pinned to a gritty, barely moist mix will root readily at the nodes, and rooted lengths can then be potted up individually. Seed is possible where flowers are pollinated and set the characteristic slender, horn-like pods, and the plumed seeds germinate readily on a warm surface — see Propagation — seed. Cuttings are by far the quickest and most reliable route for the home grower.
Common problems
- Rot — the usual cause of loss, from a mix that stays wet or from watering while cold in winter; stems soften and blacken at the base.
- Shrivelling stems — often simple underwatering or a plant that has exhausted its pot; a thorough soak and, if needed, repotting usually restores it.
- Pests — mealybugs love the leaf axils and root zone, and aphids may gather on soft new growth and buds. See Pests and diseases.
See also
- Ceropegia — the genus overview
- Propagation — cuttings · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Pests and diseases