Can someone name this leaf

last month

A friend gave this leave from her plant. She doesnt know what it is either. Looks like some sort of cactus but has extremely large branches.

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Lars

last month

last modified: last month

For best results, you should dip the end of the branch in a bit of rooting powder, although this is not necessary - it just helps.

Plant it in a reasonably small pot that has good drainage, and use a mix of potting soil and perlite. If you do not have perlite, you can just use cactus potting soil - that has worked for me.

Water it once to make the soil moist, and don't water it again for one week. After that, you can water it lightly twice a week, making sure that you do not over water it.

When it becomes rootbound, you can transplant it, if you want it to get larger.

This is a tropical plant, and it does not like extreme temps or frost. It grows extremely well in coastal southern California. You can grow it indoors if you have frost where you live. It prefers partial shade, such as plants growing in a jungle and can tolerate partial sun.

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Comments (18)

pudgeder
last month
To me, it looks like a "leaf" off of a Christmas or Easter Cactus.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last month
It would help if you could post photos of the entire plant but at a wild guess, I'd say some sort of epiphyllum or orchid cactus.
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Also pls check this plant carefully as this Hoya (compacta, as said above) can get mealy bugs easily inside all its nooks & crannies, partly why I stopped growing this particular Hoya, even tho' I really like the look of it. There is also a Hoya forum where you can read further on this plant & recommended care of Hoyas. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/hoyas
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last month
last modified: last month
Reminds me of pitaya or dragonfruit.

Is the leaf flat or lobed?

P.S. I was on my phone before, now on my desktop, and can see the photo a lot more clearly, and I don't see lobes, so not pitaya.
Suzieque
last month
My first thoought was Christmas Cactus
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last month
Too long for Christmas or Easter imo. I'd go with Epiphyllum. But a picture of the parent plant would be really helpful.
Lars
last month
last modified: last month
Here are some epiphyllum that I have

You can see branches here that are similar.

Here is a photo of pitaya (dragon fruit), which as you can see has three sided branches instead of flat ones:
Embothrium
last month
last modified: last month
Carol is talking about the segments being 3-angled rather than flat. With Selenicereus undatus producing thick sections that make a cross shape when looked at from the end. If instead the mystery plant is an orchid cactus, then by far the most seen and asked about, passalong kind is Disocactus x jenkinsonii. Otherwise, without flowers being seen it is always possible a yet-to-be-identified orchid cactus plant is one of a great many other named hybrid kinds that have been grown mostly by enthusiasts.

Selenicereus undatus - Wikipedia

Disocactus × jenkinsonii - Wikipedia
nicole___
last month
last modified: last month
Lars is correct! We both grow epi's. Link to photos

If you plant the end/tip of that leaf in moist soil...it will grow a new plant.
Judy
Original Author
last month
If i plant this branch, wi will it grow??
Rusty
last month
Here you go:

Night Blooming Cereus

Rusty
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last month
Oh interesting, Rusty! I have pitaya, and thought night blooming cereus had similar leaves, but now I see it really looks more like the OP image.
Lars
last month
Here's a recent photo of my night blooming cereus (Queen of the Night epiphyllum):

The branches have a reddish tint to them that the regular day blooming epiphyllum usually do not have, but otherwise they are somewhat difficult to tell apart, just from the leaves.

The QOTN flowers are very fragrant (and not in the best way IMO), unlike the other epiphyllum, and each flower only lasts one night, although mine blooms two or three times a year, and as you can see, not all buds open on the same night.
Judy
Original Author
last month
Thanks for all you responses, i think it is a Orchid Cactus. 😊
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
last month
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last month
last modified: last month
@ Lars - might the red tint on yours be a nutrient deficiency? I think a lack of phosphorus can do that...?
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
last month
Sometimes, the foliage take on a reddish tint when grown in full sun.
41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
last month
Not the biggest fan of xerophytic cacti in general, save for hardy Opuntia and the columnar genus, Cereus..., but I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all tropical and epiphytic species of cacti.