Mystery Houseplant

[Heliopteryx]

The previous owners of our house left behind this extremely hardy bush-tree-thing. It survived despite a good month with minimal light (it was in a dark corner) and water. Does anyone know what it might be? It is extremely slow-growing.

http://imgur.com/a/MBJl7

 

[Yvonne G]

It looks like it might be a type of Hoya. Can I see more of the plant?

No, I take that back. I just realized there were more pictures and I just saw the one with the woody stems. You have a bad case of scale on the plant, but I don't know what the plant is.

 

[N2TORTS]

Does it flower? ..... if so describe.... how about an evergreen or does it go dormint. ?


JD~

 

[Heliopteryx]

We haven't seen it flower, but then, it's barely grown a few new leaves since February (when we first moved in). It doesn't seem to be struggling in any way, though.

I'll get a picture of the whole plant with something for scale. It looks like some kind of tiny tree or very sparse bush, and is around three feet tall.

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That plant looks like one of the most generic plants that could possibly exist, though. Are there any particular parts of it that would be helpful, like the undersides of leaves, or the way the branches grow off of each other?

 

[Pokeymeg]

Can you take a zoomed out picture of the plant? The leaves kind of look like they belong to an umbrella plant.

 

[Heliopteryx]

Here is a picture of the whole tree-bush-thing with a magazine for scale.

I don't know if it's a Hoya plant, since the leaves are very thin.

 

[tortadise]

Thats a ficus. I dont remember the species though. dangit. I had one before. hmmmmmm thinking.

 

[kanalomele]

That's a ficus.

 

[Yvonne G]

Ficus benjamina? Weeping fig? The picture of the whole plant looks like weeping fig, however the picture of just the leaves really left me up in the air. You'll need to get some systemic bug killer and treat the poor plant for scale. They are very hardy, but will all of a sudden drop all leaves for seemingly no reason, but if you're patient, they leaves will come back.

 

[Heliopteryx]

Ficus benjamina? Weeping fig? The picture of the whole plant looks like weeping fig, however the picture of just the leaves really left me up in the air. You'll need to get some systemic bug killer and treat the poor plant for scale. They are very hardy, but will all of a sudden drop all leaves for seemingly no reason, but if you're patient, they leaves will come back.

I searched on Google for plant scale disease, and it looks like some sort of insect infestation. That's not out of the question, considering that this plant looked like it had been thoroughly neglected (covered in dust in a corner), but I do not see any insects on the plant itself. There are some spots on the lower branches/trunk-stem, but they're part of the bark.

 

[Edna]

The second picture in your first set shows what looks like scale on the trunk of the plant. Scale does look like part of the plant unless you're familiar with it. The scale feeds off the plant. Find a spray or something that treats scale. Your plant will have an easier time growing if it isn't feeding the scale.

 

[Heliopteryx]

The second picture in your first set shows what looks like scale on the trunk of the plant. Scale does look like part of the plant unless you're familiar with it. The scale feeds off the plant. Find a spray or something that treats scale. Your plant will have an easier time growing if it isn't feeding the scale.

I will, thanks.

 

[redbeef]

probably ficus elastica...rubber plant is the common name. should have a white sap.

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then again, that whole tree picture does not look like ficus elastica...leaves are too big for ficus benjamini, though...maybe ficus microcarpa or something like that?

 

[Yvonne G]

See the little bumps on the trunk of the tree? Take your finger nail and scrape one of them off. It will bleed and you can then see that it is a sap-sucking insect.

 

[redbeef]

scale can be difficult to combat: the systemic ideas some people on here are giving you may work, alternately there might be only certain times in their lifecycle where they are susceptible to sprays or oils, and you would need to apply a chemical regularly to catch them at that point in their lives when they are mobile or treatable...once you've IDed the type of scale you've got, a little bit of google research should help you figure out what you need to do