Plant ID for pets
November 18, 2013 6:59 AM   Subscribe

Is this a polka dot plant? I need to know in case Mr. Muffin decides to munch on it (details and links to pics inside)

Hi gang, any plant experts? I tossed all the unsafe plants when my bird, Muffin, arrived. I was given this plant last Christmas as a cute wee thing labelled "tropical plant". Well, the cute wee thing is a creeper plant of some sort a year later that won't stop growing. I though it was a polka dot plant, which appeared on plant safe lists. The extended nature of the plant plus low reach has caught the attention of a member of the flock ;-). It produces a small purple flower.

Pictures of it can be seen here.
posted by Calzephyr to Pets & Animals (8 answers total)
 
If you google "polka dot plant flowers" they certainly seem to match the ones in your picture.
posted by brilliantine at 7:16 AM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: That's what I thought too Brilliantine, but those plants sit in the pot nicely and look so bushy, whereas mine seems to want to take over the house in an Audrey like fashion :-) I was wondering if it was maybe a look a like plant.
posted by Calzephyr at 7:18 AM on November 18, 2013


Best answer: those plants sit in the pot nicely and look so bushy

Pruning does wonders :) Does indeed look like you have a match.
posted by fraula at 7:24 AM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: According to a couple of the sites I quickly looked at, the polka-dot plant can be planted outdoors, where it will creep and fill out a garden, so I think it's probably the same thing.
posted by xingcat at 7:24 AM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: That looks like a polka dot plant to me (Hypoestes).

The more mature the plant becomes, the more the new leaves can look different in shape and colouring than the smaller fresh ones on a new grown plant as that which you were given.

Incidently, to keep it as a smaller bush - more like how it looked when you were first given the plant - you pinch out the stalk from between a pair of leaves, this will encourage two new pairs of leaves to form. Your plant does seems to have grown rather leggy and woody so you might need to cut it back further to start with.
posted by Brecha at 7:24 AM on November 18, 2013 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks guys! This is a load off my mind.

Leggy is an understatement Brecha - the one branch is about three feet long! I will try cutting it back and see what happens :-)
posted by Calzephyr at 7:32 AM on November 18, 2013


Response by poster: Xingcat...it probably wouldn't last a Canadian winter, but it would look beautiful outside, even more so than hostas.
posted by Calzephyr at 7:51 AM on November 18, 2013


Yep, I have those too, and they look like that! I think they are definitely happy indoors.
posted by mlle valentine at 9:02 AM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]


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