Dischidia nummularia (String of Nickels)

Scientific Name

Dischidia nummularia R.Br.

Common Names

String of Nickels, Button Orchid

Synonyms

Collyris minor, Dischidia actephila, Dischidia aemula, Dischidia beiningiana, Dischidia copelandii, Dischidia decipiens, Dischidia dirhiza, Dischidia gaudichaudii, Dischidia glabra, Dischidia horsfieldiana, Dischidia microphylla, Dischidia minor, Dischidia orbicularis, Dischidia rhombifolia, Dischidia ridleyana, Dischidia schumanniana, Dischidia sepikana, Leptostemma truncatum

Scientific Classification

Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Genus: Dischidia

Description

Dischidia nummularia is a slender, creeping epiphyte often forming dense masses on trees on which it occurs. The leaves are opposite, round, dull greenish-yellow, thick and succulent and up to 0.4 inch (1 cm) in diameter. Young leaves are occasionally with powdery bloom. The flowers are white to yellowish-white, occurring in umbels of 1 to 5 flowers. The fruits are follicles that split open at one side when mature.

Photo via garden.org

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zone 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 45 °F (+7.2 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Allow the soil to dry out before you water the plant. They are used to getting moisture only from dew and the air, and cannot tolerate boggy media. When the bark medium is dry to the touch, submerge the container in water until air bubbles are gone.

Dischidia also needs high humidity. Mist the plant every day or place the container on a saucer filled with pebbles and water. The water will evaporate and moisten the air while the pebbles will hold the sensitive roots out of the water.

Dischidia doesn't really need fertilizer but you should change the planting media every year. If you wish, apply a diluted by half liquid plant food when you water beginning in spring and stopping by September… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Dischidia