Unchain my heart

Chain of hearts, Ceropegia woodii or Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii, is a cute, low maintenance trailing ‘houseplant’ or hanging basket plant that everyone should have! Hailing from southern Africa from Zimbabwe down to South Africa, it hangs over rocky cliffs and climbs its way through shrubs, generally in shady locations. It has semi-succulent leaves and forms tubers, both at its base and along the stem. Both of these properties help it conserve moisture in times of drought, which is what makes it such a fabulous hanging basket plant - minimal water required!

It’s said that the tubers and stems are edible - they have been used as famine food (read: not tasty at all, but won’t kill you) and as a source of water if required, by both man and animals. Traditional Zulu medicine also uses the plants for various ailments.

The leaves are heart shaped and olive green with mottled silver patterns - every leaf is a little bit different. The small flowers have five petals, fused for most of their length to form pale pink/mauve tubes with a bulbous base which encloses the organs. The tips of the petals are a darker purple and separate, but fused at the very top to form a little cage, lined with hairs, to help unsuspecting pollinators make sure they hang around for long enough to do their job. Once pollinated, long skinny seed pods are formed.

It can be propagated by seed - though be warned, they are fluffy, which helps them fly on the wind, but also makes them pesty to handle. I find the easiest way to get more plants is through cuttings. Chop off a few ‘strings’ and pop them in water or damp soil (make sure the right end goes in!) and you’ll have roots in no time. This is also a great way to make your straggly plant a little more ‘full’ (mine is probably due for a chop!).