Cyphostemma juttae

The Cyphostemma juttae is one of my favorite plants of bizarre origins due to its odd growth habits and foliage. The Juttae is a succulent native to Nambia and is hard to come by, especially in the North American horticulture market. It is climatized to hot dry summers and cool dry winters, which are very similar to the climate in Tucson, making this a great desert ornamental. It tends to lose all of its foliage during the winter months, making a relatively unattractive stump. It quickly makes a comeback during spring and summer, and will provide bundles of small flowers which eventually develop the "wild grapes" of which the Juttae gets its nickname. If you are looking at growing this plant I have a few suggestions: First, be sure you are growing in an area with warm summers (be sure to water every other day during summer) and with cool winters (with little to no watering and nothing colder than 20F). Secondly, be sure the soil is sandy and well draining. Also, don't worry too much about fertilizers or mulches - they shouldn't be necessary.