Accidental Propagation 🍃
Plant ID: Stephania kaweesakii (formerly known as Stephania “nova” )
Sept. 29th 2020
It all started with this shipping mishap.. This unique shaped caudex* broke in two while in transit. Understandably, buying fragile plants from a country all the way across the world can leave you with a damaged or even dead plant. Though, this isn’t always the case. Some shops have perfected their packaging, allowing for the safety of your plant to be the top priority. So no need to worry when ordering from a reliable online retailer! :)
*Caudex - a plant that forms a succulent water storage base/trunk/root.
Sept. 30th 2020 (bottom growth)
Sept. 30th 2020 (top growth)
Determined to not be discouraged by this, I decided to plant both pieces. Two plants are better than one! Right? At the time, very little was known about the genus Stephania so I wasn’t too confident that they would survive.
After discussing the situation with another collector, I was advised to root the top growth (pictured above) in water. But how could a caudex plant root in water? Wouldn’t it simply rot away from the excess moisture? This information intrigued me and I had to find out for myself if this was possible.
Suddenly, this once unfortunate situation turned into a wonderful opportunity. An opportunity to experiment, learn, and share!
Oct. 31st 2020
One month later.. new growth appears! If theres one thing to know about Stephanias, its that they can be extremely slow growing. So patience is required!
Oct. 31st 2020
Surprise! Surprise! We have roots! To be transparent, I truly didn’t believe this piece would make it in a water propagation set up. Yet here we are!
Nov. 14th 2020
2 weeks of root growth in water!
Jan. 18th 2021
Yes, its still in water! I know I should have removed it sooner but the little scientist inside me wanted to push the experiment further!
I hope you enjoyed my findings! I’ll update you soon with new growth and if/when I plant the water propagation in soil. If you have any questions, please ask below!