Possibly a tropical, any ideas?

Red Bird Cactus is Pedilanthus tithymaloides. This was suggested on the Identification forum and is very close. I first thought it was, but the leaves are not quite correct. Those are more elongated to an end-point and these are more circular with almost no end-point. It was easier to see the difference in the last picture ([HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]) after the plant had lost the variegated leaves and was just green. It was a much clearer picture. Wikipedia states "It has distinctive zig-zag stems". My plant does not. Wiki also states up to 6feet tall, DG states 6-8feet tall. I'm fairly certain it grows about 1 1/2-3feet tall.
Something I noticed last night. I keep walking by a new jade plant I was given and I think the leaves are very similar. Are there any jades that grow with the multiple straight upward growth like the Synadenium grantii (suggested on C&S forum)or Pedilanthus tithymaloides???
It has now been suggested that maybe it is a tropical. Any thoughts?
Carol

I agree with the person on your ID Forum thread who believes it's a Peperomia.
There are *a lot* of peperomias out there, most of them not commonly cultivated.

Glasshouseworks has one on their website called 'Peperomia species 'bamboo stalks' that could be yours, but they have no photo of it!

I know there's a good peperomia photo website out there somewhere...I'll try to find it.

most likely a synadenium break off a leaf and see if it oozes milky sap, if so thats what it is, variety unknown.

Okay, broke off a leaf. The end of the leaf didn't have any milky sap, but the broken piece on the plant did oozze a little white milky stuff. It that for sure then? It's definitely a synadenium? The Pedilanthus tithymaloides doesn't do that? The leaf feels a lot like leather. ~~~ Carol

pedilanthus is also a euphorbia relative so there ya have it...((SHRUG))..after a closer look and comparing details I vote synadenium of some variety.

The two are far distant relatives?

Sure does look like the "Red Bird Cactus is Pedilanthus tithymaloides" to me.

There is a variegated one, and a plain green one. Also, if they don't grow in enough light, they can flop over(like one of your stems is doing), and they don't need much water.

The stems can zig-zag, but don't always. Many of my stems are straight...or just flop over.
-t

edited to say that I forgot to mention that the pedilanthus does ooze white gluey sap, when snapped, or broken.

This message was edited Nov 1, 2006 3:37 PM

LOL...poor Carol :)
I still think it's a Peperomia, but I've definitely been wrong before....I guess we can all agree to disagree (Ü)
I just don't think the leaf shape is right for either the Pedilanthus or Synadenium....but as Eclipse said...could be a variety most of us here haven't seen before.

Carol....could you possibly set a coin on one of the leaves to give us a size comparison?
Does the leaf have a leathery feel or a 'juicy/succulent' feel to it?

I'm intrigued!:)

I have been hunting the www for any and all Pedilanthus tithymaloides words, pictures (which sent me in a gillion different directions of genus/species/families), and 2 full days thinking that I could locate a group of plants that were similar, but a little different (like mine). No luck.

Pedilanthus tithymaloides inconsistencies include: ends of leaves are much longer than wide and go to a point, stem grows in a zig zag pattern
This picture shows the stem structure exactly and the leaves being offset one another side to side of the stem , but it also shows the leaves to end at a definite point. Most of the leaves on my plant have a very rounded end. A very few come to slight point, but is still a rounded end. http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/600max/html/starr_031108_0232_pedilanthus_tithymaloides.htm
Synadenium grantii some of the inconsistencies include the stems and the way they grow (they branch off from a main stem), the leaves can be true red, the height get up to 10ft.
Peperomia are way too short.

My real concern for getting a positive ID on this plant is due to the fact that of everything that has been suggested and search upon I am finding vast differences in their growing requirements. I don't want this plant to die and the various species (or whatever their called) are very conflicting and opposite requirements. At this point I don't know if it want sun or shade, to be dry or wet. Please help with more suggestions. I want to extend my appreciativeness up front.
~~~ Carol

I can surely understand your need for a positive ID.

I have both a Synadenium and a Pedilanthus (but just *one* of each....no more) and to me, although the stem does slightly resemble that of my Pedilanthus, the leaf (size, in particular, as well as the leaf texture as it appears on the screen) does not....but that certainly doesn't mean that the leaf size of yours doesn't resemble another Pedilanthus....I honestly don't even know how many there are.

I do know that there are over 1000 Peperomias in cultivation, so unless you've viewed photos of all of them, you can't, realistically, *completely* rule them out. The photos in the PF here on DG is just a small sampling of all the Peperomias out there....there is *much* diversity in Peperomias.
I don't know if your plant is a Peperomia or not...that's just what comes to mind when I look at it.

There is a Peperomia discussion group on Yahoo...but you have to be a member to post. It's easy to become a member, though, so you might be interested in joining if you think there's a remote possibility it could be a Peperomia. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/peperomia/

The site I had in mind previously with great photos was peperomia.net - here's a link to some of their photos. http://peperomia.net/
(Edited to say, click on the 'Photo Gallery' link at the top of the page to view the links to the site's various Photo Galleries.)

Good luck in your quest....I'll keep looking for possibilities, as well, in some of the books I have.

This message was edited Nov 3, 2006 12:19 PM

I really appreciate your effort. When I first saw the plant I thought it was a Pedilanthus tithymaloides (course I didn't know the name at the time) and just figured it was in the same family/genus (something) group, but as I already stated the leaves are elongated and pointy.
I agree that the leaves much more resemble the peperomia and I also think they resemble my jade plant leaves (not the stems at all). The stems of the Pedilanthus tithymaloides are so similar though they have more of the zig zag pattern.
Confusion. I think I'll check with that yahoo group and see what they think. If they are a group solely for that type plant, maybe they will recognize it quickly. What do you think of the possibility of the jade leaves?

Here's a photo of P. acuminata....(I don't think this one was featured in the Peperomia.net photo galleries) you'd said that the plant 'previously' had variegation, right?

I think this resembles your plant http://www.succulent-plant.com/peperomia/peperomiaacuminata.jpg

Just a thought.


Regarding the simlarity to the Jade leaves....personally, I would say, that some Peperomia leaves 'loosely' resemble Jade leaves.....in their texture and succulence.

This message was edited Nov 3, 2006 12:37 PM

For some reason I have been able to connect to that link. Every time it opens it says "failed to load".
Okay, I was finally able to manually locate the page. The leaves are very similar, but much more circular instead of more oblong, but again very close.
A lot of the peperomias have leaves circling the stem and many are extreemly fleshy, but the magnolilfolia leaves do look a lot like these.
Just uploaded the pictures and sent a message to the yahoo group.