Pazhuthara Plant
Scientific name : Muehlenbeckia platyclada
| Homalocladium platycladum (Hook.) L.H.Bailey, Gentes Herb. 2: 58. 1929. Coccoloba platyclada F. Muell. ex Hook. in Curtis, Bot. Mag. t. 5382. 1863. Polygonum platycladum F.Muell., Trans. Phil. Inst. Vict. 2: 73. 1858. Muehlenbeckia platyclados Meisn., Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 23: 313. 1865.An erect, c. 1 m tall shruby plant with broad, flat, thin, articulate, delicately striate, ribbon-like phylloclades. Leaves sessile, membranous, entire, and often lobed at base, 1.5-6.5 cm long. Ochreae 1-2 mm long, ovate, obtuse. Flowers 1-6 in sessile clusters, bracteate, bracts ovate, c.1 mm long. Perianth segments 5, greenish, oblong, 1-1.5 mm long. Stamens 8. Ovary ovoid, 3-angular c. 1 mm long; styles 3. Nuts enclosed in the fleshy deep red or purplish perianth. The genus Homalocladium, family Polygonaceae, includes a single species native to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands: Homalocladium platycladum. Common names: Centipede plant, Ribbon plant, Tapeworm plant, Ribbon bush. This species is native to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. They are curious plants with flat and segmented stems of bright green color that reach 2 meters in height. The stems do the function of the leaves since they are small and arise from the new shoots but then disappear. The flowers are small and greenish-white. They bloom in autumn. They produce reddish fruits. They are used next to a wall or fence with climbing supports or in large pots as indoor, greenhouse or terrace plants. Homalocladium platycladum prefers a semi-shadow exposure; the sun in the middle of the day turns the stems yellowish. They are tropical plants that need warm temperatures; they do not resist frost. | |
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