IF ANOTHER HOUSEPLANT dropped all its leaves for a number of months annually, you’d assume you killed it. However with a few of Ken Druse‘s and my favourite indoor companions, from Bowiea to Jatropha and extra, a daily dormant interval is simply a part of their lifecycle. And even when all their leaves are lacking in motion for some time, these curious crops’ sculptural, swollen bases are nonetheless there to admire—water- and nutrient- stuffed constructions which are additionally the plant’s secret to survival.
Ken and I are followers of what are typically known as fats crops—a few of that are technically categorised as caudificorm (having a caudex on the base), and on a current podcast, we talked about these collectible curiosities (like my Pseudobombax ellipticum, whoe caudex is within the picture above).
Ken is the creator of 20 backyard books, and gardens extensively, outdoor and indoors, in New Jersey. He’s additionally my co-host of the Digital Backyard Membership sequence of on-line lessons the final a number of years.
Learn alongside as you take heed to the March 3, 2025 version of my public-radio present and podcast utilizing the participant under. You may subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
‘fats’ houseplants, with ken druse
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Margaret Roach: I apologize if by speaking about these crops with you the opposite day on the telephone, simply innocently, earlier than we determined to do that podcast if I prompted any binge looking out on the web or binge purchasing.
Ken Druse: Oh, no. And don’t neglect the rabbit gap.
Margaret: Ken’s taking place a rabbit gap once more. Yeah. So are there any type of sleeping houseplants, type of sculptural sleeping houseplants over there in New Jersey for the time being?
Ken: In the intervening time? Effectively, there’s two Ficus, and Ficus are figs. And I’ve obtained one which’s Ficus palmeri and one other one which’s Ficus petiolaris [above at Ken’s]. And so they have swollen bases, which is what we’re just about speaking about. There’s some crops which have, effectively, they’ve tuberosa of their species identify, in order that may be ones to consider. And obesa [laughter].
The Ficus have a number of leaves left; in the summertime, they’ve leaves. Now they’re sleeping, and I assume of their native habitat, when it actually will get dry, they might lose their leaves utterly. And that actually suggestions you off on the way to look after them.
They don’t actually need meals or water within the winter. Effectively, hardly any houseplants need meals, however what I imply. And it’s unimaginable that they’re houseplants, as a result of after I consider these crops, a few of them can be actually onerous to develop as a result of I don’t reside in South Africa within the desert.
Margaret: Or Mexico or no matter. And so not all of the houseplants… To begin with, they’re not houseplant in nature [laughter]. They’re not houseplants, however not all these crops that we use as houseplant that I described within the introduction, these ones that you simply have been simply speaking about with these swollen bases, they’re not all associated. And technically the storage organ that’s full of water and different assets, they advanced that zillions of years in the past of their homelands, that are normally desert-like, to get by way of an annual drought interval.
And in a few of these crops, it’s technically known as a caudex and so they’re known as caudiciform crops. And in some, it may simply be a bulb. However it’s a spot to retailer the products to maintain you alive when you’ll be able to’t do photosynthesis and also you there’s going to be no water to take up by way of your roots and so forth and so forth. So a survival tactic.
Ken: There’s so many crops that we develop that up from tubers, and that is tubers that develop above the bottom.
Margaret: Not technically tubers, however seems like. Yeah, and that’s the factor is the geophytes, as we name bulbs and corns and tubers and the issues that disguise underground—your daffodils, they arrive up, they make some foliage, they make flowers, ultimately they wither and so they disappear for many of the yr, half the yr at the least. That is type of that sort of factor, however the storage organ is above floor.
Ken: And loopy wild. And that’s why we wish to develop them. I assume some individuals may not assume they’re stunning. I do. And so they’re fascinating and effectively, as you mentioned at first, I need all of them. [Laughter.]
Margaret: Proper. And the enjoyable factor is that yow will discover these type of crops with swollen bases in lots of, many alternative genera of crops, and many alternative teams of crops as effectively. And so you are able to do it strictly on seems. Once more, it’s not like, oh, I’m a collector of Primula. Oh, I’m a collector of, are you aware what I imply?
Ken: Begonia.
Margaret: Yeah, it’s wider than that. And you may simply do it on seems and have enjoyable with it. And a few of them of their native habitat—like I’ve one which’s meant to be a tree. It’s known as the shaving brush tree [above], Pseudobombax ellipticum. And after I obtained it, I believed it was Bombax ellipticum, however apparently it’s not. However no matter [laughter]—the identify factor, proper?
And I assume it’s speculated to be… It’s from southern Mexico and Central America, and it’s a deciduous tree. It sheds its leaves in nature seasonally there throughout the dry winter season, and so in my home it does that, too [laughter]. And it’s been in a pot for 30-something years, so it’s not a tree, and I don’t get flowers. I in all probability may if I have been doing one thing higher. However it’s been with me perpetually and I find it irresistible. And it simply tells me when it desires to fall asleep within the fall someday. The leaves simply begin to discolor a bit, and I straight away again off on the watering, and it sleeps by way of the winter. So it’s obtained this large type of inexperienced and brown gnarly construction on the base that I simply love and all these completely different branches arising out of it and off it. So it’s enjoyable, but it surely ain’t no tree in my front room.
Ken: You’re making me consider the Dioscorea.
Margaret: Precisely, precisely.
Ken: We’ve talked about these. I grew Dioscorea elephantipes, are you able to think about? Elephant-types. And so they seem like turtles type of for many of the yr. After which identical to the Boweia, unexpectedly up shoots this vine, and for half the yr it has a vine with type of beautiful inexperienced, heart-shaped leaves, and it might probably climb like, oh, I don’t know, 7, 8 toes. After which the leaves begin to yellow and I cease watering. After which I’ve obtained this unbelievable turtle in a pot.
Margaret: Proper, a potted turtle [laughter].
Ken: And so they can get actually large, I imply, effectively, of their native habitat, they’ll get 7 toes throughout and weigh, I don’t know, 100 kilos possibly or one thing, as a result of they’re full of water, and that’s the entire thing. They’re storing their moisture and vitamins on this sleeping factor. Do you keep in mind after we used to place candy potatoes in a glass of water-
Margaret: Sure.
Ken: …Midway up, after which we’d get a vine after which it could dive in. Effectively, it’s precisely the identical factor.
Margaret: Yeah. So that you simply mentioned boa whenever you have been describing that, and boa is one which’s not a quad X, not a quad type plant, technically talking, doesn’t have a swollen stem. It’s a bulb that’s above floor or truly a pile of bulbs, a number of bulbs, like a cluster of them. And I feel, do you’ve gotten a Boweia [below, at Margaret’s] additionally rising at your home?
Ken: I’ve had Boweia, God, since I used to be a toddler.
Margaret: So for many years, and everybody I’ve ever gifted one to or no matter or turned anybody on to, it turns into their pet. It’s their little candy pet. It’s this cluster of, they name it climbing onion; it’s not an onion, however climbing onion. And I feel it’s associated to hyacinths truly. And yeah, it’s loopy. And it’s like from tropical and Southern Africa, and it places up this twisting vine-looking factor. And sooner or later, there’s tiny little inexperienced and white flowers.
Ken: They seem like spaceships. I imply, they’re actually tiny, like a fingernail dimension or smaller, and so they’re type of like stars. I feel they seem like spaceships.
Margaret: And when it desires to fall asleep, it says, Margaret, “I’m yellowing.” The vines are going to yellow. And, “Cease watering me.” what I imply? And once more, mine—and I need to simply sound just like the worst plant guardian on this planet as a result of that shaving brush tree, that Pseudobombax, has been in the identical pot for many years. And the Bowiea equally has been in the identical pot for many years. And in sort of a sandy combine; I develop these in a sandy sort of medium, like a cactus soil.
Ken: Nearly all of those need actually good drainage, all of them.
Margaret: However it doesn’t care; it’s self-sufficient or one thing [laughter]. It’s the weirdest factor. And it was one bulb, one inexperienced bulb.
Ken: I used to be simply considering that all of them begin, I obtained mine as one bulb-
Margaret: Like from Logee’s Nursery or one thing?
Ken: Then sooner or later it begins to separate and really fortunately, after which you’ve gotten three, after which you’ve gotten extra, then you definately possibly give one away. However it’s humorous the way in which they break up, however they in the end find yourself being completely spherical.
Margaret: However you’ve seen bulbs, like whenever you’ve taken bulbs out of the bottom, and even whenever you’ve typically purchased bulbs and so they have a bit, nearly like a child bulb hanging onto the facet of the older bulb, and also you say break up, it’s like that. It’s like they develop in a cluster, are you aware what I imply? They’re tightly linked to one another and you’ll sort of break them aside. However yeah, so it’s like an above-ground bulb, and so they’re vibrant inexperienced with a papery, skinny papery tan husk sort of over the bulb at sure occasions. Some individuals I feel peel that off.
Ken: I peel that. We just like the shiny inexperienced. It’s very skinny, this papery factor.
Margaret: However the Bowiea is a good gateway plant for these sort of loopy crops. It’s super-easy. It’s out there. You get a bit one, after which once more, you’re hooked. And it’s so enjoyable. And the vine, it’s obtained its personal character altogether. It’s not only a vine. I don’t even know the way to say what it’s [laughter], and I don’t actually know what the technical elements are, but it surely’s-
Ken: Like a wire stem.
Margaret: With froth coming off it or one thing. Proper. It’s prefer it’s actually stunning. I’ve, over the pot of mine, I’ve a tripod of three skinny bamboos tied on the prime, like a tripod. And so it simply twists round these and makes this tent over the cluster of bulbs. The vine makes a tent of this inexperienced froth in season. However yeah, it’s enjoyable.
Ken: I don’t wish to get too technical, however have you ever ever propagated it? [Above, the process under way at Ken’s.]
Margaret: I haven’t, no.
Ken: You may take a bit piece of the dimensions, like an onion. It has layers. You may minimize off a bit piece of that, I imply actually little, and put it on some barely moist medium. And from that little edge, the minimize edge, issues will develop, and so they’re like peas, like backyard peas, and people are new crops.
Margaret: Proper on that piece of scale on the soil floor that you simply caught it in, you’ll get these little peas. And people are your new bulbs.
Ken: Yeah. You hardly put it in. You type of put it on, and it’s quick. You’d be shocked.
Margaret: Any of the opposite ones—you talked about you have been rising another ones?
Ken: Effectively, I’ve a number of that don’t lose their leaves utterly,
Margaret: However they’ve the caudex?
Ken: The swollen base.
Margaret: O.Ok.
Ken: My Beaucarnea, which is lots of people develop, the ponytail palm, and so they get actually large in Florida, however we’re not in Florida outdoor. However I’ve a Beaucarnea recurvata, and it may be ‘Variegata,’ and has stunning variegated leaves and that large swollen base [above]. And I’ve had that after I assume how outdated we’re [laughter].
Margaret: We’re not; truly I’m counting backwards now [laughter]. Is that the one? It’s gold and inexperienced variegated. Is it inexperienced and white or inexperienced and gold?
Ken: Effectively, creamy.
Margaret: Creamy, yeah. I type of keep in mind seeing footage of it.
Ken: And quite a lot of these crops are actually sluggish, and as houseplants, I feel of their habitat, they will not be fairly so sluggish, however whenever you stick something in a pot, it type of bonsais it. It retains them sort of small and so they’re sort of sluggish, however that’s good. I don’t have room for an 8-foot tree [laughter].
Margaret: Proper. Effectively, and the one I discussed earlier, the Pseudobombax, the shaving brush tree, supposedly in its native habitat in Central America or no matter, or southern Mexico, apparently it will get to 60 toes tall [laughter].
Ken: Proper.
Margaret: And 4 toes broad on the base.
Ken: And other people get water out of it, when it doesn’t rain. Oh, wow.
Margaret: So I imply, what we’re principally doing, I assume, is what I might wish to say is, which is a phrase that all of us are acquainted with, is we’re type of bonsai-ing them simply by maintaining them in a pot. We’re telling them to remain small.
Ken: Yeah. We’re constricting them.
Margaret: Precisely. Any others?
Ken: All of the love that we give them, possibly makes up for the torture [laughter]. It feels like torture.
Margaret: Somebody a yr or two in the past gave me one other one. Realizing that I like these sort of crops, they gave me a Jatropha and it’s, they name it the Buddha stomach plant [laughter].
Ken: Excellent.
Margaret: And I assume it’s like some tropical succulent, I assume it could be shrubby in its native habitat, possibly 6 or 8 toes tall, and I feel it’s from Nicaragua and Mexico and so forth. However yeah, it stays comparatively small. I imply, I assume ultimately it may get to be a pair toes tall within the container for those who allowed it to, however I solely have a bit one proper now. However it’s additionally enjoyable, and it’s been asleep for months. And it simply advised me when; it indicated when it was time.
Ken: You’re reminding me that possibly the largest household or genus of those sorts of crops are Pachypodium. And there’s so many—quite a lot of them have thorns, however quite a lot of them are little fats issues with little arms and some leaves and possibly some flowers. However I don’t know if what desert rose is? Adenium. [Above, Pachypodium lamerei from Paradise Found Nursery.]
Margaret: Proper, proper. I used to be nearly going to say it. Adenium.
Ken: I can’t develop that. I simply don’t have sufficient solar. However that outdoor, in the fitting location, individuals develop them for his or her flowers. They get up within the spring and simply bloom and bloom with plenty of flowers in all completely different colours. They’ve been hybridized and chosen. We don’t see them fairly often. However for those who reside in Arizona, you’d know what a desert rose is.
Margaret: Proper. Numerous these are at the least Zone 9, however in all probability even Zone 10, and many others. crops. Yeah. The Jatropha is meant to get flowers, too, I feel; pink flowers or one thing. I imply, I’ve an extended solution to go if that’s ever going to occur. However when it had leaves final summer season they have been nearly fig-shaped. They have been sort of large, lobed.
So it was sort of good. It had good foliage as effectively, which was, you talked about the Dioscorea. Now that’s technically a yam, proper? Now we have native Dioscorea right here, like Dioscorea villosa, that a bit tuber-y sort of factor that grows below the bottom or at floor degree, and a vine and so forth.
Ken: Yeah. Effectively, you’re reminding me of one thing. Many, a few years in the past, I discovered a Dioscorea elephantipes within the trash in SoHo, and it was in all probability nearly 2 toes throughout. And I feel that in all probability someone had it as a decorator plant. It was positively wild-collected. I don’t know. It may have been 20 or 30 years outdated. And so they thought, oh, it misplaced its leaves. It’s useless. I’ll throw it out. And I rescued it, however sadly it had some rot and I had it for about two years earlier than it lastly kicked the bucket. However for those who can think about 2 toes throughout Unbelievable. That’s a very good genus for what we’re speaking about for these swollen infants. Bizarre however lovable crops. [Laughter.] [Dioscorea elephantipes from Wikimedia, above.]
Margaret: And what I additionally love is that what you have been simply describing, the bottom, I feel they appear nice in sort of a low pot. It doesn’t need to be big, though it was a large factor that you simply have been simply speaking about, it doesn’t need to be in a 3-foot-tall pot or one thing. Have you learnt what I imply? I don’t know what you’ve gotten one thing like that in, but-
Ken: It was a problem.
Margaret: Yeah, the massive, I’ve in all probability about 9 of the bulbs of the Bowie now on this similar pot they’ve been in perpetually. And it’s a low dish. It’s a terracotta dish. That’s one different factor: I wouldn’t develop any of those in a plastic pot. I might develop them in glazed terracotta, I feel, for the great wicking away of the water. I don’t assume you need the soil to remain moist even throughout the lively rising season. Do you agree?
Ken: Positively. And possibly shield it from getting an excessive amount of rain the place we reside.
Margaret: You imply in the event that they’re exterior?
Ken: In the summertime, proper, they may rot.
Margaret: Now. See, that’s fascinating. So that you carry yours exterior?
Ken: I carry the whole lot exterior.
Margaret: So right here’s my paranoia. Simply considered one of my many examples of paranoia. As a result of years in the past I had a horrible incident the place I had a cylindrical Sansevieria, Sansevieria cylindrica, the one with the spherical foliage that’s pointed on the suggestions, its cylindrical foliage. And I liked that plant and I had it for a very long time. It was actually stunning. It was sort of variegated. And we had a hailstorm and it simply obtained pitted like loopy, actually disfigured. And so I’ve by no means introduced my Boweia or my Pseudobombax—I don’t carry any of those guys exterior as a result of I’m afraid of disaster.
Ken: Yeah.
Margaret: So that they keep in, these are my solely crops that keep in. Truly, that’s not true; the Clivia keep in, too, for a similar purpose as a result of they’ve that very type of thick evergreen foliage. And that additionally may get very broken by aberrant climate.
Ken: Effectively, there’s only a few issues that I carry exterior that go in full solar. However as you’re saying this, I don’t have any south dealing with window. I’ve by no means had a south-facing window, which might make it a lot simpler to develop so many issues. Not the Clivia essentially, however issues like we’re speaking about actually. After they’re in lively progress, they really want solar.
Margaret: They need quite a lot of mild.
Ken: And indoors, I don’t have the solar, so quite a lot of the crops actually look drained. By March, truly the top of in March, they appear actually nice, after which they collapse. All of them fail. They only can’t maintain on any longer. After which they go exterior and so they type of come again. So I actually have to do this. I don’t have the south house.
Margaret: And I wish to, however as I mentioned, I’m simply spooked. I used to be spooked by having that plant so badly broken, and it could take 10 years to outgrow it.
Ken: Effectively, I’ve an enormous porch and a few lined areas, so that they get the good air. I find yourself having to nonetheless water them as a result of quite a lot of them are undercover.
Margaret: However they’re protected from hail.
Ken: And I don’t have hail, like you’ve gotten hail.
Margaret: Yeah, normally it’s like every year or one thing, however boy, it’s dastardly. I simply wish to speak about in your…we received’t name it purchasing, we’ll name it looking out…this final week, I do know I used to be wanting round and I discovered some web sites apart from Logee’s, which has quite a few caudiciform crops in addition to the Bowiea with its bulbs. I discovered the type of motherlode, it appears, at a nursery in Florida known as Paradise Discovered. And so they even have specimen-size crops for fairly a hefty worth, a few of them.
Ken: A thousand.
Margaret: They’ve small ones too. However you could possibly get one which’s already, since you have been saying they’re slow-growing, you could possibly get one which’s already like a full-on sculpture. However at any price, after which one other one known as Planet Desert, which has a quantity as effectively of caudiciform crops. Did you discover any others? [Below, the Pseudobombax in the living room at Margaret’s.]
Ken: I discovered plenty of issues and I discovered, I don’t know if I can keep in mind the identify, however there’s a caudex website that this individual has whose identify is B-I-H-R-M-A-N-N, and I don’t even know if it’s in america, however for those who Google caudex or caudiciform, it’s one of many issues that’ll come up. It’s not a nursery. They don’t have issues on the market, however they a whole lot of crops.
Margaret: Like a reference.
Ken: I simply wish to warn individuals. You may even see a wonderful image of a 30-year-old plant, however what you’re going to get for $7 within the mail goes to be a bit seedling. And typically watch out. You may be getting seeds, however I used to be shocked. Even Amazon has some on the market.
Margaret: Effectively, and Etsy and locations like that. However I want to buy at someplace like Logee’s or Paradise Discovered or Planet Desert.
Ken: Do not forget that you’re getting a younger plant, that’s all.
Margaret: Yeah. And a few of them say, it’ll say, this can be a 2-inch pot, this worth, it’s a 3-inch pot, this worth, it’s a 6-inch pot… They might have completely different sizes. So that you simply need to be aware of that.
Ken: It could be nice if a few of these locations confirmed you precisely an image of what you’re going to get.
Margaret: Effectively, we’ve squandered one other podcast. Thanks, Ken. And I cannot settle for the invoice in your purchasing binge whenever you’re finished, though it’s my fault. So thanks. Enjoyable to speak about fats crops with you, and I’ll discuss to you once more quickly.
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MY WEEKLY public-radio present, rated a “top-5 backyard podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper within the UK, started its fifteenth yr in March 2024. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station within the nation. Pay attention regionally within the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Japanese, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the March 3, 2025 present utilizing the participant close to the highest of this transcript. You may subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
