Dischidia litoralis

Compared to so many other common dischidia - this particular one proved a challenge in finding the ID as it is confused with Dischidia bengalensis and later after some research I had found why the whole confusion had began.

Dischidia litoralis is distinct species compared from D. bengalensis.

D. litoralis has been commonly occurs on the islands of Indonesia, Irian Jaya and is common and widespread in Papua New Guinea and is newly recorded occurring in Queensland, Australia. 

The charateristics have the elliptic oval shape leaves with cylindrical stem.

It is also considered as seaside inhabitant (litoralis means of the sea shore.)

However some online nursery sellers still use the superseded name (Dischidia bengalensis)(1980) as it was a synonym which was used very much earlier before the accurate classification were made on 1989 as Dischidia litoralis.

To note: there is even a spelling difference in the name between littoralis and litoralis (extra t)

To complicate it even more, the name is somehow refers herbarium specimens to Dischidia bengalensis (2005) and not Dischidia litoralis.

Go figure..

I actually got this from a friend who got it from Phuket. I doubt this is easily available in the local nurseries - not that I had seen any sold so far and somehow I would consider this one rare.

I think it may be available on international online nurseries which I had noticed 

ID this as Dischidia sp Geri. 

The confusion continues.

I actually got this from a friend who got it from Phuket. I doubt this is easily available in the local nurseries - not that I had seen any sold so far and somehow I would consider this one rare.

It took awhile for me to get a hand on this one for few years until the kokedama helped a lot.

However - it is truly a slow growing plant.

Just like most dischidia - the care and cultivation very much similar with hoya and other epiphyte plants.

This is a new dischidia spike - this is how it would look like when it trails to seek a new location for self propagation - these vine trail and set new roots where it is favorable. They are fragile so care is required not to bruise or mishandle them as they can snap easily.

Dischidias does so well growing together with other epiphyte plants like this rhipsalis in the same pot. You can easily mix and match to create texture and foliage structure.

Basic Care & Maintenance of Dischidia:

Medium:
This require a fast draining medium - something like orchid medium mix.
It does well with a mixture of perlite, sphagnum moss, cocopeat & bark mix.

It should not be a strong drainage mix where it doesn't hold any moisture at all but it should not be holding water too where the roots and stem can rot too. The balance of both is ideal.

Sometimes the nursery plant them - rolling them in a coconut husk making a ball from it. Another medium will be coconut husk stuffed inside a seashell with the dischidia hanging from it.

For sometime - it would look cool but eventually it get spend and burned due to lack of root growth and nutrients - making the plant leggy and trying to escape elsewhere.

Watering:
I water daily and twice during the hot dry days. These can go without water for few days to a week and perhaps you have to take note on how the foliage appearance - if it appears withered or drying than watering is mandatory. The downside of watering will cost the leaves to turn yellow and start rotting - therefore - the right balance is necessary.

Sun:
Dischidia is not a totally shade loving plant but you can place them in bright indoors area. I for one had experience where when it is placed in dark areas - they rarely show new growth and appears to be very leggy (the leaves nodes along the stem appear to phase out far apart and it is very unsightly especially when you prefer to have a compact foliage plants)

These are trailing plant and more on the wild side. The seemed to do well in most unforgiving conditions but at times - just barely surviving and it is indeed a slow growing plant - so don't expect much if you received a small cuttings and looking forward for new growth - It may take many months to actually notice anything.

I for one, just place them in their ideal spot and consider that done there and routinely water them on daily basis and weekly spray flowering fertilizer on them hoping them to bloom. Otherwise, it's another trailing foliage plant that I'm contented with.

Other Factors:

1) Do take effort to foliar fertilizer on them to induce new growth or else it will remain in that same size for months.

2) It's a trailing plant - so do allow space for it to grow and trail heavy, it will climb and vine everywhere - so do take note on that garden space in place them permanently as once it captured and coiled within the garden space - it will be difficult to remove them without cause damage to the vine or foliage.

3) This plant does produce aerial roots and may start off new shoots hence a new plant from a different location where it had rooted. You can propagate new plants from here but do it soon or if in case it had established itself - it would be too difficult to remove them without damaging them.