Australian Succulents

Pot Culture

Numerous Australian succulent plants are suitable for pot culture.
A few can even be grown indoors, e.g. species of Peperomia, Hoya and Doryanthes.
Beyond the plants mentioned here, there are many others that have not yet been trialled in pots.

Species of Adansonia, Brachychiton, Bombax, Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Stephania and Cissus have a natural tendency to develop stout stems or tubers.
This feature, coupled with their general ability to remain short, makes them ideal to bonsai.

The genera Adansonia, Brachychiton and Bombax grow back well even after drastic pruning, another good feature for bonsai or other pot culture.
Little is known about Cissus and Stephania species and their use in ornamental horticulture in Australia, especially for bonsai, however internationally there is considerable demand for them for this purpose.

Species of Hydnophytum, Myrmecodia and Dischidia major, can make great conversation pieces in any pot plant collection, especially if some resident ants can also be accommodated.

For hanging baskets there are Hoya, Dischidia and Sarcostemma species and you could even try Bulbine vagans.

Some plants covered in this book are now uncommon, rare or non-existent in much of their former habitat, so raising them from seed and maintaining them in potted collections is one way to contribute to their conservation, especially if good records of provenance and horticultural history are kept and surplus plant material is distributed to other growers.

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