I was given some cuttings of this plant but I can't seem to identify it so I can care for it properly. Can someone please identify it? Thanks
1 Answer
I am not sure how you have this plant potted, but it appears to be a species of Epiphyllum cactus. It is a genus of night-blooming cactus species (Cactaceae family). Some common names are "orchid cactus" and "queen of the night". Yours may be the well known Epiphyllum oxypetalum, but the condition of your plant makes a positive identification difficult. They are native to the Central Americas and bloom at night with spectacular white flowers that last for only one night. Here are some links that might be of more help with your plant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyllum
https://www.gardenclinic.com.au/how-to-grow-article/queen-of-the-night
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Definitely an Epithyllum. Does this plant get much light? They don't need much, but is that new growth that looks like string? Feb 11, 2019 at 13:04
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Thank you for the information, very helpful. I'll research more to make sure it has proper care. It is potted in soil but there's a top coat of sand that helped eliminate fungus gnats. It sits on the sill of a large window, on west side of house, protected by covered deck, so it doesn't get direct sun. And yes, the string-like pieces are new growth. I wanted to find out why it's turning brown.– LindaFeb 11, 2019 at 13:28
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@TimNevins If you grow them from seed, the immature growth looks like string until it starts to broaden out into the mature leaf shape, but I've never seen one as extreme looking as the OP's picture. Usually you get about an inch of "string" and once the plant gets going you can take a cutting from the mature part of the leaf, to get rid of the "string" completely, rather than let the leaf flop over like the OP''s pictures. Feb 11, 2019 at 16:26
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The spots on the leaves and large brown patches looks like a virus-like disease. There is no cure except to cut off the affected leaves if they look unsightly. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to spread from one plant to another. It may a problem caused by "inbreeding" between the many thousands of hybrid epiphyllum varieties that have been created. Feb 11, 2019 at 16:31
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Since the whole plant looks such a mess at present, it might be worth taking one or two cuttings from undamaged leaves and seeing if those grow without the "string" and brown patches. There is plenty of information on the web on how to take epiphyllum cuttings, and it's easy to do. Feb 11, 2019 at 16:43