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The abundant flowers, while small, are of interest.
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Description: Succulent, evergreen trailing vine, that grows
to 2-5 cm in height and spreads to reach up to 2-4 m in length.
Stem: Thin and pendulous from which leaves hang,
Leaves: Heart shaped that look somewhat like cyclamen leaves and
marbled with shades of silver and green on the top, and green to purple
on the undersurface. They are opposite
Tubers: The roots, and occasionally the stems, will often develop
tubers. On the stems these form at nodes and are likely the reason for
the common name of rosary vine. The tubers are that forms at regular
intervals on the stems can be used to propagate the plant
Flowers: In general shape similar to those of other Ceropegia
species, waxy, narrow. and bulbous at the base. (resemble small upturned
vases) 2,5-3 cm long, off-white and pale magenta. The five petals are a
deeper purple/ brown.
Blooming season: The Ceropegia woodii blooms in profusion
most in late summer-autumn (but flowers continues to appear till
mid-winter if growing-conditions are adequate).
Fruit: Horn-shaped seed pods containing flat seeds with their own
little parachute, that are carried by any draft. They can be sowed
immediately |
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Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of
Ceropegia woodii.
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Family:
Asclepiadaceae (Apocynaceae)
(Milkweeds family)
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Scientific name:
Ceropegia woodii
Schlechter. 1894
It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the related Ceropegia
linearis, as C. linearis subsp. woodii.
Origin:
Southern Africa (Eastern Cape Province trough Swaziland, and Zimbabwe to
S. Rhodesia)
Habitat: It's found in the southern part of Africa,
growing in a well-drained soil with little water and some sun.
Common Names include: Chain of Hearts, Heart
strings, Collar of hearts and Rosary Vine
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Synonyms:
- Ceropegia barbertonensis
- Ceropegia linearis var. woodii
- Ceropegia barbertonensis
- Ceropegia euryacme
- Ceropegia schoenlandiia
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The plant is a caudiciform, meaning it has a swollen stem or root system
which it uses to store water. These can get quite large after a few
years. The bulbs can get over 10 centimetres in diameter, the vines more
than two meters long.
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When exposed to sufficient light they have a deep green colour marbed
with silver; under insufficient lighting the leaves are pale green.
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