Xerosicyos Danguyi, quite a moniker for the "string of coins" plant. The Danguyi part is so named to honor French plantman Paul Auguste Danguy who lived from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, by the French botanist who discovered it, Jean Henri Humbert, a contemporary of Danguyi. Xerosicyos means "dry cucumber" a humorous reference to the dry weather of its native Madagascar and its surprising relation to cucumbers. Well, that barely scratches the surface of the strangeness of this plant! Absolutely, completely round leaves first just populate the soil surface, just stacked and jumbled, absolutely upright on their edges. Next the stiff, very Hoya-like stems start off to trail, first up, then down, with the big coins (1"-3") alternately stacking on the stems with plenty of space between. Tinted assorted soft, satiny finish greens, greyish jade to pale lime, some olive to avocado, sometimes with a darker edge with a lighter center. Absolutely flat and thick, somewhat puffy sometimes, the foliage reminds one of both Hoyas and Jade succulents. It is a succulent. Another thing, all along those stems will shoot out myriad pale-colored, windy and grabby tendrils, each a few inches long, seeking purchase on anything, just anything it can grab and clamber over. It can trail to 6' and beyond. As it clambers, it flowers along the stems in Hoya-like open, spidery, short bunches of thin green stems with pretty, yellow, 4 petaled flowers. You absolutely have to have one of these. Really fun in a hanging pot.
- Drought Tolerant
- Low Maintenance
Quick Care Guide:
- Water - Low (1): Needs very little water to survive. Wait until the plant is completely dry then fully soak. Drought tolerant by nature.
- Light - High - (5): Plant needs a lot of light; direct is even better. These plants do best when placed on a window sill or next to a bright window. Avoid concentrated, hot light from window which may cause burning (magnifying glass effect).
- Difficulty - Low (1): These plants need barely any attention to thrive. Set it and forget it.