Actually a vine, cissus discolor is a stunning plant that’s perfect for narrow spots in your home. It grows up canes, so takes up little floor space and doesn’t spread out, so a good one to liven up those awkward corners.
In the wild, it spreads a lot. Native to South-East Asia and Australia, you’d typically find it winding its way around trees in rainforests, using its tendrils to climb up to the canopy. It’s covered in colour. Its leaves have dark green and white markings, accented by deep purple veins and stems. It’s sometimes known as begonia vine, because of its colourful leaves, but it’s not a begonia at all.
Brilliantly, it’s really easy to care for. It will grow happily in quite shady spots (it won’t like total darkness) and while it likes its soil gently moist, it will put up with dry soil for a bit. It might drop a few leaves in winter, but don’t worry. It’s just conserving energy for spring. You can help it grow vigorously by giving it afeedonce a month in spring and summer.
Did you know?
Cissus discolor is a relative of the grape vine. It doesn’t have edible fruit, though, so don’t expect to be making your own wine.