Stephania Suberosa (Borapet Pungchang)

This is a climber whose individual plants are either male or female. It consists of a large tuber (caudex) above ground and stores water. The climber’s vines proceed from the tuber and grow upwards.

Family:	Menispermaceae.
Genus:	Stephania.
Scientific Name:	Stephania Suberosa.
Other Names:	Borapet Pungchang.
Growth Season:	It grows mainly in spring and summer.
Preferred Temperature:	The temperature that produces the best growth for the plant is above 64oF.
Hardiness Zone:	USDA Zone 13a – 13b.
Average Mature Height & Width:	The adult height is about one meter with a width of about 40 cm.
Dormancy:	It is deciduous, losing some or all its leaves in winter. It is also dormant in winter.
Toxicity:	There are no documented cases of toxicity in Stephania Suberosa, but some plants in its genus are toxic to humans and pets.

Stephania Suberosa Physical Characteristics

This plant’s leaves are flat and round with a bit of a tapered end. The leaves have a lime-green appearance. Stephania Suberosa’s most defining physical characteristic is its caudex. It is covered with a cork back with the appearance of a pineapple peeling. This plant can survive for hundreds of years; during this time, the caudex can get as heavy as fifty kilos.

The stem, which grows on the top of the tuber, is woody and can grow to a maximum of one to two centimeters in width. Younger stems, however, are much thinner. The plant produces small greenish-yellow flowers.

* Note: We will earn a small fee when you purchase through any of the above affiliate links, at no additional cost to you.

Stephania Suberosa Plant Care

The caudex stores water for the plant; therefore, it doesn’t need additional watering. If you water it, it has to be just a little water while avoiding sogginess. It needs abundant direct sunlight to grow and won’t survive without light. Lack of sunlight causes the leaves to drop, ultimately leading to the entire plant’s death.

It requires well previous soil and can get nourishment even in the barest of mediums. This means that it doesn’t need any additional fertilizer.

Stephania Suberosa Plant Growth

This plant can be propagated using seeds or stem cuttings. Seeds take much longer to mature into complete plants, but stem cuttings take much shorter to be established. You follow the routine succulent propagation procedures in this case.

Stephana Subrosa’s shoot is relatively scarce. You will unlikely need to prune, trim or behead it as the foliage is just enough. Repotting this plant is essential to farming since the caudex can grow quite fast. Re-pot it every time it doubles in size or once every year. Follow the usual succulent repotting procedure and give your plant the correct pot size.

Be looking for pests such as whitefly, aphids, spider mites, thrips, and mealybugs. Furthermore, it may suffer from root rot, leaf spot disease, and powdery mildew.