plant of the week!

Cissus quadrangularis (mangarvalli)

Cissus is a little shrub that is generally found growing over other bushes. known to be an ancient medical plant that can cure nearly everything from stomach aches to healing bone fractures to ulcers. but it is most famous as a body building medicine, it makes you and your bones big and strong.

The Sanskrit word asthisamharaka literally means that which saves the bones from their destruction.

For that purpose, externally, the crushed stems are used as a poultice over bone fractures, along with the juice of its roasted stems, and is eaten with ghee.

The herb is also fed to cattle to induce flow of milk. The whole plant is used in fractures, sprains, irregular growth of teeth,various wounds and cracked tail.

But the fresh juice of the plant can sometimes also irritate the skin and cause itching.

Description:

The stem is made from long thick, fleshy, quadrangular (four sided) sections joined together. The plant can reach a height of 1.5 m and the sectioned branches are sometimes 8 to 10 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. The stems are often leafless, when old.

The leaves are thick and have three lobes.

The flowers are small, greenish white, in a bunch on a stem.

The berries are egg shaped.

How to grow:

light: in a place where there is a lot of light but it doesn't get direct sun.

water: water once in two days just enough to keep the soil a little wet. in the winter reduce water.

Multiply!

just by snapping off a piece and burying a node in soil. in a couple of weeks it will form roots and begin to grow.

(15 march-21 march)

Drimiopsis is a bulbous , cute spotty plant from South Africa.

leaves: are fleshy,light green, oval leaves that have darker translucent spots.

flowers: The flower stalk rises 6 to 12 inches above the leaves and has a cluster of small bright white flower buds that open and turn to a pale green.

how to care: Plant in light shade,and water just enough to keep the soil moist. watering it once in two days is enough. water only twice a week in winters.

it blooms late spring to summer and is quite hardy.

multiply:it will multiply in the garden to form clumps with a bulb each. these can be planted separately into other pots, with a mix of sand and manure, just below the surface of the soil.

watch out!this plant is a favorite food for snails!, make sure to protect it from snails.