Ceropegia devechii

This plant is native to Somalia and has been known since 1932.

This plant seems to like it very hot and bright. It has been difficult to cultivate and keep in these northern latitudes. This climbing vine has interesting buds as well as a dramatic flower. The familiar bullet shaped ceropegia bud has 5 claws that curl under the top. When the flower opens, the claws split and the top of the flower flattens out increasing to almost 2 inches in diameter. The inside surface of the opened claws is like white velvet, this colorarion and texture makes the flower noticable from over twenty feet away.

I have reports from people who grow it in the southwest, it is practically a weed there. The plants produce seeds that float around their greenhouse and leafless vines unexpectedly germinate in pots already inhabited by other plants.

Late last summer I ordered some new devechii from Miles To Go to replace the one that I lost that's pictured above. It was listed as a white flowering variety but when it bloomed these were the flowers. Pretty dull when compared with my original plant. I recieved two very nice plants with good roots and one plant had buds on it. They were planted in the altered Barad mix described in General Culture with bent tomato hoops to grow on. This variety seems to be quite vigorous as it has been growing since Christmas, they're a little stretched because I have them inside my studio about 4 feet from flourescent lights that light the space for me (not the plants).

In bud, these devechii aren't as tightly curled and aren't maroon like my original plant. SO, I am still looking for the white flowering devechii. I lost the first one because I couldn't figure out what it needed and I was most likeky keeping it too cool to grow and flower well. If you know of one or HAVE one send me an e-mail. (April 2001)