I water it when it dries out so it becomes a lovely, lush plant. My Devil/zigzag/slipper/bird plant spends summers out of doors in the shade of a porch. The second thing I learned, I have been too good to my plant so it has never blossomed. First, this plant will bloom with red flowers resembling either a slipper or a bird, perhaps depending on how you squint at it. This is an all-season plant, perfect for indoor growing conditions and outdoor sometimes care.Īfter a bit of research, I discovered two things. The rest of us can grow this unusual plant as a houseplant indoors and to add a tropical flair outdoors during the warm days of summer. It thrives in Southern California, Southern Florida, and Southern Texas. Sun and cold cause the leaves to turn pink.

This is where the water is stored, as sap. The Devil’s Backbone and Zigzag names come from the zzz’s of the stems, which are quite fleshy. I see his garden when I look at this plant he shared with me.) (If you want to be remembered, share your plants. Why “Japanese” when it comes from Central America is a mystery to me.Ī gardener friend gave me my Variegated Devil’s Backbone as a cutting, a friend who passed away two years ago. That also accounts for the Poinsettia in Japanese Poinsettia. I know my plant as Devil's Backbone ( Pedilanthus tithymaloides) a euphorbia, which is where the spurge part of Slipper Spurge comes from.

Yet this plant is considered unusual in most of the U.S. Zigzag Plant, yes, but Slipper Spurge? There are still more names in the common vernacular for this plant found growing over much of Southern Florida. Talk about conjuring up very different images with common names.įor the life of me, I can’t quite figure out why this plant is also known as Japanese Poinsettia.

On the other hand, Devil’s Backbone might give some gardeners pause.

Zigzag plant indoor