What's Lurking in Your Garden?
October, 2020
By Deborah Haggett - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze
Many traditions have come and gone to mark the arrival of shorter, darker winter days.
Halloween is one which celebrates the end of summer, the end of the harvest, and the honoring of the
dead. Here in Florida, our longer summers bewitch me into easily forgetting that Fall is here, but
thankfully my neighbors reminded me with their whimsical and ghoulish Halloween displays. Their
grinning ghosts, witches, and jack-o-lanterns prompted me to explore my yard for haunting signs of
Halloween.
Lurking in the corner of my lanai is my potted Devil’s Backbone shrub aka: Pedilanthus
tithymaloide. Despite its name, this 3 ft. high succulent with its zig-zag stem and red bracts is easy to
grow. It is a relative of the poinsettia and likes full sun to part shade. Where this plant gets its devilish
due is with its poisonous white sap. Its beauty will tempt you, but make sure you wear gloves and don’t
allow children or pets to eat it.
Another beautiful succulent masquerading as a gentle plant in my yard is the Agave desmettiana.
It is considered a smooth, dwarf agave that when planted in the ground only grows to 3 or 4 feet unlike
the century agave plant which has spiny leaves that can grow to 10 feet. The agave desmettiana is a
drought tolerant, light loving plant that blooms only once in its lifetime, sometime between 8 and 10
years. Its ghoulish reputation comes from its gruesome ability to draw blood from even the most cautious
of gardeners. Beware the description of its “smooth” leaf margins. This dramatic, eye catching plant is
possessed with a sharp, stabbing, red spine at the tip of its leaf which can be exorcised to protect innocent
trick-or-treaters passing by.
A visually interesting Halloween plant that I don’t recommend for the Florida garden is the Darth
Vader plant aka: Aristolochia salvadorensis, a pipevine native to Brazil. It has been described as a
“rambunctious” climbing vine that will require vigorous pruning. Although its blooms resemble the
spooky, hooded image of Darth Vader, they only last about a week. In that time, they emit a putrid stench
similar to rotting zombie flesh that invites pollinators to fly into its “eyes.” Once captured, they are
covered with pollen and finally released to pollinate again.
Instead of the Darth Vader plant, you may want to consider a native species of Aristolochia
commonly known as dutchman’s pipe for its flower’s resemblance to a tobacco pipe. The native species:
Aristolochia tomentosa Sims. and Aristolochia macrophylla Lam. are host plants for the beautiful
Pipevine Swallowtail or Blue Swallowtail butterfly. This butterfly is recognized for its blue iridescent
hind wings. Beware confusing the native Dutchman’s Pipe plant with its exotic cousins who have a dark
side; they are toxic and a death trap to the Swallowtail larvae. These Grim Reapers are the Aristolochia
gigantea aka: Pelican Flower, the Aristolchia elegans aka: Calico Flower, a Category II exotic invasive,
and the Aristolochia ringens aka: Gaping Dutchman’s Pipe. They may disguise themselves as Florida
friendly but they are true monsters!
So, my phantom readers, in honor of All Hallows’ Eve, explore your enchanted gardens and
remember, “In every garden there is a child who believes in the seed fairy.” Robert Brault
Many traditions have come and gone to mark the arrival of shorter, darker winter days.
Halloween is one which celebrates the end of summer, the end of the harvest, and the honoring of the
dead. Here in Florida, our longer summers bewitch me into easily forgetting that Fall is here, but
thankfully my neighbors reminded me with their whimsical and ghoulish Halloween displays. Their
grinning ghosts, witches, and jack-o-lanterns prompted me to explore my yard for haunting signs of
Halloween.
Lurking in the corner of my lanai is my potted Devil’s Backbone shrub aka: Pedilanthus
tithymaloide. Despite its name, this 3 ft. high succulent with its zig-zag stem and red bracts is easy to
grow. It is a relative of the poinsettia and likes full sun to part shade. Where this plant gets its devilish
due is with its poisonous white sap. Its beauty will tempt you, but make sure you wear gloves and don’t
allow children or pets to eat it.
Another beautiful succulent masquerading as a gentle plant in my yard is the Agave desmettiana.
It is considered a smooth, dwarf agave that when planted in the ground only grows to 3 or 4 feet unlike
the century agave plant which has spiny leaves that can grow to 10 feet. The agave desmettiana is a
drought tolerant, light loving plant that blooms only once in its lifetime, sometime between 8 and 10
years. Its ghoulish reputation comes from its gruesome ability to draw blood from even the most cautious
of gardeners. Beware the description of its “smooth” leaf margins. This dramatic, eye catching plant is
possessed with a sharp, stabbing, red spine at the tip of its leaf which can be exorcised to protect innocent
trick-or-treaters passing by.
A visually interesting Halloween plant that I don’t recommend for the Florida garden is the Darth
Vader plant aka: Aristolochia salvadorensis, a pipevine native to Brazil. It has been described as a
“rambunctious” climbing vine that will require vigorous pruning. Although its blooms resemble the
spooky, hooded image of Darth Vader, they only last about a week. In that time, they emit a putrid stench
similar to rotting zombie flesh that invites pollinators to fly into its “eyes.” Once captured, they are
covered with pollen and finally released to pollinate again.
Instead of the Darth Vader plant, you may want to consider a native species of Aristolochia
commonly known as dutchman’s pipe for its flower’s resemblance to a tobacco pipe. The native species:
Aristolochia tomentosa Sims. and Aristolochia macrophylla Lam. are host plants for the beautiful
Pipevine Swallowtail or Blue Swallowtail butterfly. This butterfly is recognized for its blue iridescent
hind wings. Beware confusing the native Dutchman’s Pipe plant with its exotic cousins who have a dark
side; they are toxic and a death trap to the Swallowtail larvae. These Grim Reapers are the Aristolochia
gigantea aka: Pelican Flower, the Aristolchia elegans aka: Calico Flower, a Category II exotic invasive,
and the Aristolochia ringens aka: Gaping Dutchman’s Pipe. They may disguise themselves as Florida
friendly but they are true monsters!
So, my phantom readers, in honor of All Hallows’ Eve, explore your enchanted gardens and
remember, “In every garden there is a child who believes in the seed fairy.” Robert Brault
Deborah Haggett is a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral and a Lee County Master Gardener
Volunteer
Sources:
Devil's Backbone
Dwarf Century Plant
IFAS
Florida Native Aristolochia