Plants: Species

Ribbon Bush or Centipede Plant Homalocladium platycladum

FAMILY: POLYGONACEAE (Buckwheat Family)

The unusual ribbon bush Homalocladium platycladum is also called the centipede plant because of its regularly segmented or jointed stems. Yes, those are the stems, as the leaves are narrow and about 0.5- to 2-inches (1- to 5-centimeters) long, shooting out from the joints when they are present at all. They fall off when the plant blooms, since the tiny clusters of waxy green flowers replace them, growing out of alternating joints along the stem somewhat like epiphyllum flowers do.