My mystery vine

Calling all vine lovers. This vine is growing up a wall in a tropical greenhouse at UMass-Amherst. Very prolific, according to the manager, but they don't want to get rid of it because they don't have a proper ID. It grows, leaves and stems, plastered flat to the wall, like they were glued on, or the leaves, like stickers stuck on the wall. I have a piece she gave me, which she had to peel up with her fingernails to rip it off the wall. It clings with aerial roots like ivy or pothos or philodendron. The aerial roots look much like philodendron to me. There are three or four of them at each leaf node and they hold on tight. The leaves are about 2 1/2 inches by 2 inches and are leathery and have a slightly rough surface composed of many tiny bumps over the entire surface. I took this picture at about noon today, Massachusetts time. The greenhouse manager said that peperomia had been suggested, but I don't have any pictures of really vining types. I don't think it is a kind of ficus as there is no white sap. I appreciate your help!
Thanks,
Martha

I think that it's Ficus Pumila minima. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/113659/

sort of strange because I had heard for years that there was a climbing fig, but I could never find the name. Finally figured it out last year. Now I've seen it several times since.

on second thought though, I doubt that it's minima. Probably just Ficus Pumila. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2029/

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=ficus+pumila+

This message was edited Dec 5, 2008 10:15 PM

I kinda ruled out ficus because it doesn't have white ficus sap. I thought so at first until she pulled my piece off her wall and it didn't bleed. Also, the veins are not as pronounced as they get with ficus.
Martha

Ahhh, I just read that up above where you said you had ruled out Ficus. Sorry! That's all that I can think of at the moment.

Ooohhh, that's cool!
Kind of looks like one of the Scindapsus, or maybe a Rhaphidophora? I did a quick Google search and found this page that has some neat Rhaphi shinglers:
http://www.asiaticgreen.com/MyPhotoArchive_Aroids.htm almost to the bottom.
Whatever it is, it's really neat!

Yep, I think you're right. I tried doing some google searches on it last night and found pictures of what I knew was a very close relative, but they never had names on these pictures.

Rhaphidophora it is! Actually Rhaphidophora pachyphylla. There's a great picture in the plant files taken by our own PalmBob out at Huntington Gardens in California. It's even growing up a wall like the one in my picture. Thanks for all your input!
Martha

Where can I get one of those?

dear Sv,
Scindapsus, pothos, philodendron etc. are all aroids. cousins, if you will. Which is what led me to the ID. I water office plants for a living and have pulled enough pothos off of walls that took paint with it to note the similarity of the grasping roots.
I have the chunk that the greenhouse manager gave me which I am attempting to root in water. Will see how that goes, though I will probably have to make a log totem for it to grow on since I can't let it go outside. It's snowing here today, so not likely to survive.
Martha

Martha,
I hope you can root the cutting! I feel for you with the snow situation- I grew up in MA and don't miss the snow at all! Do you have a greenhouse at home?
Here's a pic of S. pictus 'Exotica' that is trying to shingle on the pine needle mulch I have in the garden. I adore shinglers and hope to someday build a wall for them to really climb in my yard. This is outside right now and we've had temps right at 40 degrees for a number of nights in Nov and Dec. I guess being under the guava tree gives it some protection- I really thought it would get some damage from the many cool windy nights we've had.

Here's the pot it dangled down from, to find the ground, so it could keep on creeping.

Cathy

I have a sunroom that faces south and east and the south side has a garden window in it. If I get this to root, it will go in the garden window. I love the leaf pattern on your "shingler". Hope it stays warmer down there for you.
Martha

Wow, I've had these on my wish list for a long time!

Cathy....would you be interested in trading a cutting of yours with me? I have many aroids I can offer in trade...let me know?

Martha, I wish you good luck in rooting yours, let us know of your progress!

Roberta : )

It's not looking so good at the moment. but I have hopes. and, the lady at UMass had plenty of it growing up her wall. I can go back in the spring and get some more if this doesn't work out.
Martha

That's a good thing!

gardenmart, sorry to hear your isn't thriving. Hooray for the lady at UMass! I didn't even realize that there was a tropical greenhouse there. I hope yours perks up.

robcorreia, sending you a dmail.

Thanks for getting in touch Cathy!