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Ceropegia woodii Schltr.

String of hearts

Native records: 6 botanical areas

Cape Provinces, Mozambique, KwaZulu-Natal, 3 more areas

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Natural distribution

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NativeIntroducedUncertain

Distribution is shown as WGSRPD Level 3 areas. It does not imply the species occurs throughout an entire area.

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Distribution last verified:

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Photograph of Ceropegia woodii

An evergreen trailing vine in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), native to southern Africa and cultivated worldwide as a houseplant for its chains of heart-shaped leaves.

Description

A tuberous geophyte with slender, purplish trailing stems that can reach 2–4 metres in the wild. Its opposite, fleshy heart-shaped leaves are arranged along the stem like beads on a string, giving rise to its common names 'string of hearts' and 'rosary vine'. Leaves are 1–2 cm long; some forms show silvery venation on the leaf surface. Flowers are distinctive tubular structures with five reflexed thread-like lobes at the tip, resembling miniature lanterns or parachutes. In its native habitat it grows on rocky outcrops and hillside slopes, surviving dry periods through its underground tubers. Shade-tolerant and easily propagated, it is widely grown as a hanging plant.

Habitat

Native to rocky outcrops and hillside slopes in subtropical regions of southern Africa, including South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Provinces), Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Forms underground tubers that allow it to endure dry seasons.

Distribution areas

  • Eswatini

    • SwazilandNative

  • French Polynesia

    • Society Is.Introduced

  • Mozambique

    • MozambiqueNative

  • Papua New Guinea

    • Bismarck ArchipelagoIntroduced

  • South Africa

    • Cape ProvincesNative
    • KwaZulu-NatalNative
    • Northern ProvincesNative

  • Zimbabwe

    • ZimbabweNative

Climate of the native range

The Köppen climate classes found in the areas this plant is recorded as native to. It does not mean an entire area has that climate.

  • Aw Tropical, savannah
  • BSh Arid, steppe, hot
  • Cwb Temperate, dry winter, warm summer
  • BWh Arid, desert, hot
  • Cwa Temperate, dry winter, hot summer
  • BSk Arid, steppe, cold
  • Cfa Temperate, no dry season, hot summer
  • BWk Arid, desert, cold
  • Cfb Temperate, no dry season, warm summer

The same climate occurs in 184 areas worldwide, 178 of which have no record of this plant. See them on the map

A matching climate does not mean the plant can grow there. Range limits are also set by things other than climate — dispersal history, soils, competition. Source: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0 (observed period 1991–2020).

Other names

String of hearts、Rosary vine、Chain of hearts、Collar of hearts、Sweetheart vine、Hearts entangled

Family
Apocynaceae
Genus
Ceropegia

Other species in Ceropegia

Sources

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Mozambique · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Papua New Guinea · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    French Polynesia · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Eswatini · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    South Africa · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Zimbabwe · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

Image information