[Overview]
A succulent evergreen perennial.
It forms no tubers or bulbs underground.
It has erect stems.
It bears relatively large leaves.
The leaves are simple and alternate, and asymmetrical left to right.
The flowers are borne in cymes, and there are male and female flowers.
Male flowers usually consist of 2 petal-like sepals and 2 smaller petals, and female flowers consist of 2 petal-like sepals and 3 petals, though some have no petals.
There are also double-flowered cultivars.
[Cultivation]
It prefers soil that is airy, well drained and moderately water-retentive.
From autumn to spring, keep it in a sunny place; in summer, strong sunlight causes leaf scorch, so keep it in cool partial shade.
It prefers a well-ventilated place.
Protect it from frost; it can overwinter if kept at 5 °C or higher.
If night temperatures are 10 °C or higher, it flowers even in winter.
Propagate by cuttings.
Choose nodes with leaf buds to make the cuttings.
Pests and diseases seen include gray mold, powdery mildew, bacterial leaf spot, aphids and leafrollers.
[Notes]
By stem character, plants are sometimes divided into 4 types: arrow-bamboo type, clump-forming type, succulent-stem type and climbing type.
