skip to main content

Name That Plant!The Kitchen Table

Can someone name this leaf

last year

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.

Featured Answer

Lars

last year

last modified: last year

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.

Comments (18)

pudgeder
last year
To me, it looks like a "leaf" off of a Christmas or Easter Cactus.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
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.
Related Discussions
Can someone name this plant for me!?
Q
Comments (9)
Leaves from young Syngonium plants are very different from those of adult plants. They are extremely easy to propagate from stem cuttings. But possibly the easiest way to do it is in plastic bags. Just put the cutting inside with a little water and keep in a light warm place. They just sprout roots all over and then you just place them in a pot. Syngonium is a weed at my place, very difficult to eradicate. Photo of one of my trees being overtaken.
...See More
Can someone please name the plant in the photo
Q
Comments (1)
Plumeria Here is a link that might be useful: Plumeria
...See More
Can someone help me name a plant please
Q
Comments (7)
There is no distinctive odor with fresh tea Camellia leaves. I would treat it as a houseplant till you learn more. You may have to wait for it to bloom before you know with certainty. I would place it outdoors in partial shade once frost danger is over. It will certainly grow better outdoors during the warmer months. Tea blossoms are white with yellow centers and about an inch across. They are usually fragrant and typically bloom in fall. Bees find them irresistible.
...See More
Can someone name this plant for me
Q
Comments (15)
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
...See More
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last year
last modified: last year
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 year
My first thoought was Christmas Cactus
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
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 year
last modified: last year
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 year
last modified: last year
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 year
last modified: last year
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 year
If i plant this branch, wi will it grow??
Rusty
last year
Here you go:

Night Blooming Cereus

Rusty
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last year
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 year
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 year
Thanks for all you responses, i think it is a Orchid Cactus. 😊
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
last year
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last year
last modified: last year
@ 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 year
Sometimes, the foliage take on a reddish tint when grown in full sun.
41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
last year
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.

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

THE POLITE HOUSE The Polite House: What Can I Do About My Neighbors’ Trash Cans?

If you’re tired of staring at unsightly garbage way before pickup day, it’s time to have some tough conversations

DESIGN DICTIONARY Drop-Leaf Table

The leaves of drop-leaf tables can be folded down to save space or raised to create a bigger surface

DISASTER PREP & RECOVERY 7 Ways to Help Someone Hit by a Hurricane

By Alison Hodgson

The best things you can do in the wake of devastation are sometimes the most surprising

MOST POPULAR 9 Real Ways You Can Help After a House Fire

By Alison Hodgson

Suggestions from someone who lost her home to fire — and experienced the staggering generosity of community

TROPICAL STYLE Easy Decorating: Turn Over a New, Tropical Leaf

By creative jewish mom.com

Toss a palm frond in a vase or gather a whole bouquet — fresh or preserved tropical leaves bring on the exotic with almost no effort

DECORATING GUIDES 8 Great Ways With Silver Leaf

By Jason Ball Interior Design

Make a Room Shine with a Shimmer of Silver

DECORATING GUIDES A Glimmer of Gold Leaf Will Make Your Room Shine

By Apartment 46 for the Home

Make a unique, unexpected statement in any space with this precious metallic finish

GARDENING GUIDES These Hedges Can Add Interest to Your Winter Garden

Evergreen trees and shrubs provide structure and color in the winter months — and can attract wildlife too

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Little-Leaf Cordia Handles Desert Extremes

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Its delicate white flowers are rare in hot and dry sites, but Cordia parvifolia offers more than mere beauty

Sophisticated And Fun: Good Design Can Be Both

Sponsored

More Discussions

Weed in California

3

odd long-leaved plant

7

White lamium plant?

3

Bought at a plant sale - Butterfly Plant?

10

This appeared in my garden...

0