String of
hearts
Ceropegia
woodii is a succulent flowering trailing plant native to South Africa and
Zimbabwe. It was discovered in 1881 by John Medley Wood, the curator of the
Durban Botanic Gardens, hanging from rocks on Groenberg Mountain. In 1894, J.
M. Wood sent a living plant to The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The plant eventually
flowered and was named for the man who discovered it.The plant
has heart-shaped mottled grey-green leaves and thrives on benign neglect. It dislikes
being heavily watered and the recommendation is to allow it to dry out between
waterings, some say until 'the top two inches of soil are dry.’It is
grown principally for its pretty leaves, but also produces pale pink tubular
flowers in summer. In its natural habitat, its trailing vines can reach 4
metres, though it is unlikely to reach such lengths in a Northern European conservatory.
Other names
for it include rosary vine, sweetheart vine and chain of hearts.
