Japanese name: ワイヤープランツ Scientific name:Muehlenbeckia complexa
[Overview]
A small evergreen shrub.
Its thin, wiry, brownish stems branch freely and creep along the ground, growing long.
The leaves are simple and alternate, round, about 1 cm across, thick, and glossy on the upper surface.
The leaf margin is entire.
It is dioecious.
The flowers are borne in the leaf axils; they are small and greenish white.
The flowers have no petals, and the calyx is 5-lobed.
The fruit is a black achene, enclosed in a white calyx that has swollen and become fleshy.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or cuttings.
Propagation from seed is also possible.
It can overwinter outdoors in regions without frost.
It prefers well-drained, well-aerated soil in sun to partial shade.
If it runs short of water the leaves drop, so for potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries from spring to autumn, and in winter water somewhat less and keep it on the dry side.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long sunny spell and the soil dries out.
Apart from base fertilizer, place slow-release fertilizer on the soil or give liquid fertilizer from spring to autumn.
Pests and diseases include virus disease, scale insects, spider mites and aphids.
