Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Subtropical woodland
Range: Southern Africa
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Rare

About

A trailing succulent vine native to southern Africa, beloved as a houseplant for its small heart-shaped leaves patterned with silver marbling and deep-purple undersides. Its wiry stems can grow several metres long and produce tiny tuber-like aerial corms that drop off and sprout new plants.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Ceropegia
Species: Ceropegia woodii