Three Green Thumbs

Dorstenia foetida, an odd caudiform from Northern Africa, has a green flowering structure called a hypanthodium. The tiny flowers come out of the hypanthodium (the yellow dots in the center portion of the hypanthodium are the flowers.) As the seeds ripen, they are ejected from the flower with such force that they can land up to five feet away from the plant. The only way to reproduce this plant is by seed, so if seed collection is important, the best way to be sure and retain the seed is to bag the flowering structure.


I keep this caudiform in the house all year so I can mist it occasionally, as it needs higher humidity than we have outdoors. It needs regular water during its growing season, and I give this plant diluted fertilizer once during the spring and summer. It must be protected from frost. Actually, it is better suited to USDA Zones 10-11. D. foetida is dormant in winter, and may lose its leaves during the dormant period. Very little water is necessary during this time.

My three plants are still small, but will eventually grow to 12 inches tall. The trunks of these plants are the typical swollen structures of caudiform. (They look like green thumbs--so they are especially appropriate to write about today!) Interestingly, D. foetida is a member of the Moraceae family, the same family as edible fig.