Plant ID #4

Horticulture 2

Dieffenbachia maculata

• Dumbcane– Foliage: simple; entire margin; ovate; pinnate;

evergreen; 8 to 12 inches; variegated– Height: 1 to 3 feet– Spread: 1 to 3 feet– Form: upright– Leaf Arrangement: opposite– Exposure: Light Shade– Landscape Use: container; interiorscape– Unique Characteristic: indoor plant in NC

Dizygotheca elegantissima

• False Aralia– Foliage: palmately compound; lobed; doubly serrate margins;

oblong; evergreen; 8-12 inches long; 5-7 leaflets– Flowers: white– Height: 1-4 feet– Spread: 1 to 3 feet– Form: upright– Leaf Arrangement: alternating– Landscape Use: Container; interiorscape– Exposure: Light shade– Unique Characteristic: house plant

Dracaena cincta

• Red Edge Dracaena– Foliage: simple, linear shape with entire margins; dull

green and with purplish-red margins; rosette at top of the stem; up to 3 feet long and up to 7.5 cm wide

– Height: 4 to 12 feet– Spread: 6 feet– Form: upright; like a palm tree– Leaf Arrangement: rosette– Exposure: Partial Sun– Landscape Use: Container, interiorscape– Unique Characteristic: Usually single stem

Dracaena deremensis• Warneckii Dracaena

– Foliage: simple, linear shape with entire margins; whorled arrangement

– Height: 8 to 12 feet– Spread: 6 feet– Form: upright; open– Leaf Arrangement: spiral– Exposure: Partial Sun– Landscape Use: Container, interiorscape– Unique Characteristic: house plant in NC

Echinaceae pupurea

– Foliage: Rough textured leaves that become small toward the top of the stem; dark green leaves are coarse and sandpapery, usually lance shaped, and 3-8 in long

– Flowers:Pink, Magenta (Pink-Purple), Violet/Lavender, Purple, White/Near White; singly atop the stems

– Height: 2-3 feet– Spread: 2-3 feet– Form: upright– Leaf Arrangement:– Exposure: Full sun– Landscape Use: foundation, beds, mixed borders, or

in the native wildflower patch – Unique Characteristic: perennial

Elaeagnus pungens– Thorny Elaeagnus– Foliage: simple, oval shape with entire, wavy margins;

evergreen shrub; silver tint; undersides of leaves are silver in color with bronze spots

– Flowers: cream colored, bell shaped – Height: up to 15 feet– Spread: 20 feet– Form: symmetrical mound; shrub – Leaf Arrangement: alternate– Landscape Use: border, screen– Unique Characteristic: stems or "canes" bend to form

great arcs if unsupported; drought tolerant

Epipremnum aureum cv

• Golden Pothos– Foliage: simple, cordate shape with wavy margins; irregularly

spaced yellow bands and green bands; ovate to broadly ovate-lanceolate

– Height: 6 inches– Spread: 25 feet– Form: climber; vine– Landscape Use: container; interiorscape– Exposure: sun– Leaf Arrangement: alternating– Unique Characteristic: often with aerial roots; house plant

Euonymus alatus

• Winged Euonymus/ Burning Bush– Foliage: simple, obovate leaves; 1 to 3" long; finely serrated;

excellent red fall color – Flowers: Non-showy yellow-green flowers; 0.5 to 0.3" red fruit

in fall – Height: 5-6 feet– Spread: 5-6 feet– Form: Upright mound; horizontal branches; flat top – Leaf Arrangement: Opposite– Landscape Use: border, foundation, hedge– Exposure: Sun– Unique Characteristic: corky winged branches

Euonymus japonica

• Evergreen Euonymus– Foliage: evergreen; simple, oval shape with serrated

margins; 1 to 3" long – Height: 10 to 15 feet– Spread: 5 to 6 feet– Form: Dense, oval mound; stiff – Leaf Arrangement: Opposite– Landscape Use: border, foundation, hedge– Exposure: sun– Unique Characteristic: major problem with scale; must

spray

Euphorbia pulcherrima

• Poinsettia– Foliage: simple, obovate shape with lobed margins; with or

without teeth on the margin; showy red, pink, or cream leafy bracts

– Flowers: cup-shaped "flowers" in a cluster above bracts– Height: 2 to 10 feet– Spread: 1/2 to 6 feet– Form: shrub– Leaf Arrangement: alternate– Landscape Use: container, interiorscape– Exposure: sun– Unique Characteristic: common at Christmas; poisonous; house

plant; red veins in leaves; red “flowers” are actually red bracts, bracts can be white to pink to red to yellow in color

Ficus benjamina

• Weeping or Benjamin Fig– Foliage: simple, ovate shape with wavy edge; long-tipped,

glossy – Height: 1 to 30 feet– Spread: 1 to 45 feet– Form: evergreen tree or shrub with drooping branches– Leaf Arrangement: alternate– Landscape Use: container, interiorscape– Exposure: Sun– Unique Characteristic: poisonous; house plant; loses leaves

when moved or in drafts; drips a white sap when cut

Ficus elastica ‘Decora’

• Decora Rubber Plant– Foliage: simple, elliptic shape with entire margins; large glossy

leaves; Shiny, leathery, oblong; leaves are enclosed, when buds, in rosy sheaths, which soon fall.

– Height: 8 to 10 potted; up to 100 feet in Hawaii– Spread: 60 feet or more because of aerial roots– Form: tree– Leaf Arrangement: alternate– Exposure: Sun– Landscape Use: container, interiorscape– Unique Characteristic: Elastica leaves and stems and even

wood 'bleed' white sticky sap when broken or damaged from which rubber can be made. 

Review