Native to China and often known as the China doll plant, this beauty is one that I had, but was eaten by my dog (RIP Wednesday) last year. But don’t worry! The plant didn’t kill the dog, she had cancer (fuck cancer). The China doll is one of the few totally non-toxic houseplants out there and can provide a safe option for pet owners with nibbling little mouths. It must be tasty, too, because she ate the whole plant. As I’ve said before, I don’t tend to be an adventurous eater, so I can’t tell you if it’s good in salads or anything.
They are relatively easy to care for and, like most tropical plants, are ok in indirect light with moderate water. They get spider mites easily, so watch out for that…. Speaking of spider mites, these tiny arachnids are called spider mites because they spin a fine sheet of webbing on plants. The webbing keeps their eggs safe and females can lay up to one hundred during their twenty-day life span. Spider mites feed by stabbing plants with their sucking mouth parts and emptying each of a leaf’s individual cells of its contents. This leaves the leaf looking pale and desiccated. We hate spider mites here in The Lab.
The two spotted spider mite is the species most likely to colonize a houseplant and they can go from born to sexually mature in around five days. How’s that for the horrors of puberty? Interestingly, spider mite females are said to be able to recognize kin, as inbreeding has a deleterious effect on offspring. So say we all, yeah?
Anyway, back to Radermachera sinica, there isn’t much research on this plant as it’s newish to the plant trade, but one interesting thing I found was that it is treated with hormones in the nursery trade to keep it small and bushy as this is apparently more attractive to buyers. It will eventually get properly tall and, according to at least one source, can outgrow your home. In their natural habitat, China doll trees can grow up to 98 ft (30 m) tall. As mine was eaten, I can’t really tell you much about growth rate, but eventual size is something to consider when purchasing. That said, as with most tropical trees we keep indoors, pot size will generally help determine the over all size of the plant. Pruning is also an option. Radermachera sinica is also known as the serpent tree due to its long, thin seed pods, which are pictured below.
I found an article in the NIH database that included Radermachera sinica in a list of medicinal plants in China’s Jianghua County. The article lists the plant as helping with “heat clearing, treating venomous snake bite, sterilization.” There are no details apart from this, which is vexing as I’d love to know what is meant by sterilization.
Bonus fact, in 1783 Jacob Cornelis Matthieu Radermacher, the botanist and explorer whom the plant is named after, was returning from Batavia (modern day Jakarta) to his native Holland when the crew of the ship he travelled on mutinied and he was murdered. He was returning home due to ill health.
Maybe our little China doll is bad luck.
So that’s it! This month’s plant will serve as inspiration for the paid posts in my 100% Plant-Based Horror sections. Here’s the break down, in case you’re new and/or curious.
First week of the month - The Lab (that’s this post!) - Free for everyone
Second week of the month - The Witch Lab (a short, spooky piece from a plant witch’s journal detailing one of her experiences helping (I use the term loosely) a client with the featured plant) - Paid subscribers only
Third week of the month - The Spell Book (an entry from The Witch’s spell book detailing how she uses this plant for her dark magic) - Paid subscribers only
Fourth week of the month - 100% Plant-Based Horror story featuring the month’s plant. These are longer stories that include everything from ghosts, to parasites, aliens, experimental supplements, and more! - Paid subscribers only
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The seed pods make me wonder if it's related to the catalpa...