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irma_stpete_9b

Jatropha-like vine?

11 years ago

A little mystery plant I've grown in the shade a moisture retaining bowl (along with pansies which are still going great) has extended itself out, rather than up, as if it is a vine. The leaves are very like the usual deeply indented jatropha leaf, dark green and shiny - which it could be, given its provenance (how'd ya like the way I snuck that $10 word in?). Is there a possibility it is not jatropha?

Comments (7)

  • 11 years ago

    Irma,
    I love your 10-dollar word!

    It's always fun to have a plant to "figure out". A picture might help, but in the meantime, check out this link and see if it could be Ipomoea horsfalliae:

    Google Images

    Carol in Jacksonville

  • 11 years ago

    OK, so now I really examined this plant. This should give it away: the leaves have tiny thorns on the back of the main rib. Few and almost invisible on some leaves. [Ha! I wrote that before looking on web for plants with thorns on leaves. It still didn't help!] Leaves are the color and texture of my ordinary box-store jatropha growing in mostly shade. Looking at leaf shape info on the web, it seems these are Palmasect (herringbone pattern fingers deep, notched finger-like leaves, notched depth deep and almost to the midrib when younger. When the leaves mature they loose their deep indentations (when they might qualify as Palmalifid). (I'm winging this jargon and could be totally off.) The plant extends in a single 3-foot rapidly growing extension. All new leaves come from the new end, bushy with miniature leaves - unusual, I think. Largest leaves near it's base are not indented (now), largest 8"long by 3" wide. Shape of all leaves except these are pointed with almost always 3 pairs of lobes plus the tip (7th lobe). The leaves seem to lose their lobe-ness as they mature. And something's been munching on those older leaves near the plant base (but not on newer leaves).


    I, too, prefer photos. But will be a first if I get it to both show well with my inferior camera, and can figure out how to post.



  • 11 years ago

    Don't fear to post crummy photos - you should see the things people post on the Name That Plant forum - & they get answers too!

  • 11 years ago

    Could it be an eggplant? Someone on a thread mentioned spikes on the leaves (though, hard to find this verified, except for a "thorns on stem"). If so, I better replant it in full sun.

  • 11 years ago

    Aha! It is Solanum wendlandii (Giant Potato Creeper, Paradise Flower, Divorce Vine, Costa Rica Nightshade). Did come to me from a plant sale (by Cheryl in St Pete - remember "yacheryl"?!). Took a cutting to the Rare Plants Network sale today and happily Cheryl was there selling (and teaching and encouraging, as always). Said I should keep it in sun and fertilize for abundance of blooms. And I had planned to rip it out, as it grows aggressively and has hooks or thorns, like a vine from "The Little Shop of Horrors".

  • 8 years ago

    Wendy, that's neat! When you wrote, my Solanum wendlandii was blooming following the Dec 9 cool spell, but that's about all for the year. I probably need to feed it better. It's in a pot.