Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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The vine with square stems that heals bones and turns heads. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

The vine with square stems that heals bones and turns heads

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape, hanging basket

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape, hanging basket

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape, stems

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape, stems

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape plant

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape plant

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape, fruit

Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape, fruit

The vine with square stems that heals bones and turns heads
  • Cissus quadrangularis - Veld Grape. This plant is anything but ordinary! It has four-winged stems – square, chunky, and unlike anything else in your garden. Each stem looks like a little green sculpture, with ribs running down the sides. It’s technically a vine, but behaves like a succulent, with thick, juicy stems and tiny tendrils that climb or spill from a pot.
  • Native to Africa and India, veld grape thrives on sunshine, heat, and a bit of neglect. Perfect for hanging baskets or as a quirky groundcover. Just give it some light and occasional water, and it’ll keep growing strong.
  • It’s also famous as a traditional "bone-healing" herb, earning it the nickname Bone setter plant. But even if you don’t use it for that, it’s a total show-stopper for anyone who loves plants with personality.
  • A true show-stopper for collectors and anyone who loves the strange and beautiful side of nature.


🛒 Get your own Veld Grape show stopper

#Container_Garden #Remedies #Fun_Facts

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Do you have Shampoo Ginger in your garden? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Do you have Shampoo Ginger in your garden?

Zingiber Zerumbet, Shampoo Ginger, Pine Cone Ginger

Zingiber Zerumbet, Shampoo Ginger, Pine Cone Ginger

💄 Do you have Shampoo Ginger in your garden?

💄Pine Cone Ginger (Zingiber Zerumbet), is called Shampoo Ginger due to its unique, milky substance found in the cones. If you squeeze these bright red cones, a fragrant, milky liquid seeps out - traditionally used in Asia and Hawaii as a natural shampoo. Even today, you’ll find it in commercial shampoos.

🛒 Grow your own Natural Shampoo Ginger

📚 Learn more:

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Remedies #Fun_Facts

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Weird cactus looks like pasta with Dragon Fruit. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Weird cactus looks like pasta with Dragon Fruit

Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Curly Locks or Orchid Cactus

👀 Weird cactus looks like pasta with Dragon Fruit
  • ➰ Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Curly Locks or Orchid Cactus - is one of the most unusual jungle cacti you can grow. Instead of the usual flat cactus leaves, this one grows curly, looping stems that twist and spiral in every direction. It looks like a green waterfall of botanical noodles, perfect for a hanging basket or a high shelf where its wild shape can really show off.
  • ➰Curly Locks is actually a natural mutation of a Guatemalan jungle cactus that grows high up in jungle trees, using its stems to absorb moisture and light from the air. Like many epiphytic cacti, it produces large, fragrant flowers that open at night and look strikingly similar to orchids. After blooming, it forms small, oval pink fruits that are edible and juicy - like tiny dragon fruits!
  • ➰This plant is self-pollinating, so you don’t need insects or hand pollination to get fruit. It thrives in bright, indirect light and prefers to be a bit root-bound to trigger blooming. Just water moderately, let the soil dry slightly between waterings, and avoid moving it too often once it’s happy in its spot.
  • ➰Epiphyllum Curly Locks is not your typical cactus - it’s a living sculpture, a conversation piece, and a fruiting wonder all in one.


🛒 Add Curly Locks to your rare plant collection

📚 Learn more:
Botanical bedhead: curly, crazy, and full of surprises

#Fun_Facts #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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What spice comes from the small dried flower buds of a tropical tree? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What spice comes from the small dried flower buds of a tropical tree?

Clove - Syzygium aromaticum

Clove - Syzygium aromaticum

Clove - Syzygium aromaticum

Clove - Syzygium aromaticum

Clove - Syzygium aromaticum

Clove - Syzygium aromaticum

Allspice - Pimenta dioica, Jamaica pepper tree

Allspice - Pimenta dioica, Jamaica pepper tree

Allspice - Pimenta dioica, Jamaica pepper tree

Allspice - Pimenta dioica, Jamaica pepper tree

🌿 What spice comes from the small dried flower buds of a tropical tree?
  • 🌿 That would be Clove, from the tropical tree Syzygium aromaticum. The spice is actually the dried, unopened flower buds. They turn from pink to brown as they dry and release that powerful, warm aroma we associate with baking and holiday dishes. Cloves are native to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands of Indonesia, and are still grown widely across the tropics. The clove tree is ultra-tropical and very challenging to grow outside the true tropics, which is why it’s so rare in plant collections.

📸 Photos 1-3.

🌿 Another spice with a similar story is Allspice, from Pimenta dioica, also known as the Jamaica pepper tree. Unlike clove, it comes from dried unripe berries, not flower buds, but it earned its name because its flavor tastes like a mix of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg all in one! The Allspice tree is much easier to grow, as it isn’t as fussy as the clove tree - though still frost-sensitive. It's compact and easy to keep in a container. This tree brings joy to your life and spice to your kitchen right away, so you don’t need to wait for years for the fruit of your labor!
📸 Photos 4-5.

🛒 Explore tropical spice trees and edibles

#Food_Forest #Fun_facts

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