Can You Tell Me What This Is?

Hi All!

I bought this plant from Home Depot a few months ago for only $4. Problem is no one who worked there knew what it was. I have looked in every book that I have, and cannot find it. The tips of the leaves are red.

Funny how they never know what they're selling.

I think it's an Aeschynanthus......as to which one....you'll have to wait until it blooms.

Hope that helps!

Thanks Nan.

My guess would be some kind of pepperomia.

Nematanthus hybrid.

It's a Nematanthus a/k/a Goldfish Plant or Clog Plant. Give it plenty of sun and it will reward you with an abundance of pouch shaped (usually some variation of orange) flowers. My very, very favorite plant!!!!!!

Hey NematanthusNut - welcome to DavesGarden!

Thanks! I'm very glad to find some plant pals.

Hi All

Thanks for all of your guesses, I took it to a nursery, but unfortunately, its not a nematanthus. The stem & leaves are really thick, even the specialist at the nursery is stumped.

Betcha it is!!!! Just wait 'till it blooms! But, be warned, if that's what it is...they're addictive!

Ooh, I love a good mystery! Keep us informed when it blooms!

ok don't laugh, but is there a difference between columnea and nematanthus? I still have a hard time telling the difference between lipstick and goldfish plants. If there is and the nursery says it's not nematanthus, could it be columnea?

Columnea and Nematanthus are in the same family (gesneriad) but they are different plants. Columnea is commonly called the "Lipstick Plant". My experience with Columnea is limited (I had one but it died) but, I believe that they have a longer, more elliptical (sp?) shaped leaf. The stems and leaves are hairy (I think) and much softer than Nematanthus. I'm not a botanist but I'm really pretty sure that you have a Nematanthus. As the plants get larger the stems can become very thick and woody. The leaves are rigid and in some varieties are even "puffed". There are so many varieties now and some,like Apres, can get quite large. If it turns out that it really is a Nematanthus, if you put it in a sunny spot and feed it with Miracle Grow Bloom Booster, it will soon be covered with "goldfish". They are allegedly very drought tolerant but mine live here in what is basically a rain forest so they're never dry.

I bought a mystery plant from Home Depot this past spring and it has turned out to be some kind of lavender. I thought lavender liked cool weather but this is thriving here in the blazing hot, ultra humid weather. It drives me crazy when I end up with a plant that I don't know what it is!

I was going to say nematanthus but someone already had, it looks just like mine !

ah, I thought it was the other way around, that columnea were the 'fish' plants and not lipstick plants. thanks

Who knew it would be this hard to identify a plant I only paid $4.67 for? LOL

I could be WAY wrong, but there are some thickly grown hoyas that would highly resemble that..........JMHO....

If it is a goldfish, you really got a bargain for $4.00! I bought some lithops tonight from Lowes. We'll see how long it takes before they turn to mush. I think they're such interesting little plants but I haven't had much luck with them in the past. One of them is called "Baby Toes" and it's really odd.

Nut-post a pick of your new plant if you can. I don't know what Baby Toes looks like.

I don't have a digital camera but here is a picture I found in the Plant Files. I thought all of these "living rock" type plants were called lithops but I didn't find "lithop" anywhere. But, this is the plant. Mine is tiny...in a 2 in pot. The tips of the "toes" are almost transparent.

Holly

Holly, your baby toes are cute. What did you name your baby?
:) Donna

Lithops is the genus name, and it's always got the "s" on the end. There isn't a singular form like "lithop" so that's probably why you didn't find it. If you do a search in plant files with "lithops" in the genus box, you get a whole list of them. Hope that helps.

"Baby's toes" are related to Lithops, but are actually Fenestraria....just thought you might want to know that!

The main thing, I've found, to remember about Lithops and watering, is to only water when you see new growth emerging....if there's no new growth.....no water.....they have a specific rest period and will rot away if watered at the wrong time.

That's what I sure found out. I had three little ones and they are a goner.
:( Donna

Thanks for the info on Lithops! I do like to be able to put the botanical name on my plant tags. And since I have turned several of the "living stones" into mush over the years, I will try learn the proper watering/grow cycle. I felt almost guilty buying more potential murder victims.

Holly

Holly - LOL!!! I'm in the same boat as you with a couple of succulent I have right now. I swear when I pass the display of cactus & succulents in Home Depot, they get up and run away! My reputation preceeds me.

Holly - YOU WERE RIGHT!!! I took the plant to a gentlemant who owns a nursery at the flower mart in downtown LA & he says it is in fact a type of nematanthus. It is an older plant he says so the stems and leaves are thicker than the ones usually seen in stores, but that it is in the nematanthus family. It hasn't had any flowers, and he said some don't flower, but thats okay, I like it as it is.

Yeahhh for you! You really got a bargain as I just paid nearly $7.00 each for plants in 2 inch pots! I didn't know that some types don't bloom. Mine here in Louisiana bloom more in winter than summer. It may be because I have a very shady yard and they get little sun in summer when the leaves are on the trees. When I was in Tennessee they bloomed in summer but I had to bring them inside in winter and they didn't like that at all. I have the best luck with Miracle Grow Bloom Booster. When/if it blooms...we'll all be waiting for pictures. If it's Dugny...I'd LOVE a cutting. They root VERY easily!

Holly

Whats Dugny? I'll send you a cutting no problem, just mail me your address via Daves Garden email & I'll send it out to you. Thanks so much.