This fleshy green alien belongs to Dorstenia elata, a member of the fig family (Moraceae) native to eastern Brazil. The structure is called a hypanthodium, a special type of inflorescence bearing many minute male and female flowers. In some plants, like the figs we eat, the hypanthodium forms a hollow structure with an opening. This allows a special type of wasp to enter and lay eggs. In so doing, she pollinates the fig. The process is fascinating. Anyway, the hypanthodia of Dorstenia species are like figs turned outward so they're much flatter, exposing all of the flowers. When the seeds are ripe the plant shoots them outward several inches, a method of seed dispersal known as ballistichory.
Freaky flowers aside, the whole plant is quite attractive. There are actually three plants in that pot, which I grew from seed. Dorstenia are, in general, very easy to grow from seed. That combined with their habit of propelling their seeds everywhere make them greenhouse pests. But this one in particular makes an excellent houseplant and deserves to be more widely grown for its glossy green leaves. It is an adaptable plant, and can tolerate a wide range of soils (this one is in regular potting soil), temperatures, and light. Mine gets moved around as I make room for other plants and has done well in deep shape as well as bright light. It's very tolerant of drought, too, so if you miss a watering it will bounce right back.
Many Dorstenia hail from dry regions and so develop thick caudices that hold special appeal for succulent growers. D. elata and the other Dorstenia I grow, D. cuspidata var. humblotiana, are exceptional in this regard. (Though I do hope to obtain some of the succulent ones to round out my collection.)
D. elata is fairly common, but D. cuspidata var. humblotiana is a rarity. It is the only Dorstenia endemic to Madagascar, though other forms of D. cuspidata may be found in parts of Africa. Unlike its succulent cousins, its stems are quite thin. The leaves are lanceolate and ever so slightly pubescent; soft to the touch. Its hypanthodia are angular, with four points and little protuberances. They remind me of little green stars.
Despite its rarity, D. cuspidata var. humblotiana is surprisingly easy to care for. ("Rare" doesn't always mean "difficult" in horticulture. Conversely, "common" doesn't always mean "easy," as anyone who has tried to keep a grocery-store Cyclamen alive in household conditions knows.) It needs a winter rest, during which it should receive no fertilizer and much less water, and may or may not lose its leaves and stems. I didn't know this when I first acquired the plant and thought it had died when it dropped its leaves. Luckily, there was some Selaginella moss growing in the pot and my partner insisted we keep the pot of moss alive, because he liked it. Well, that saved this plant because later that spring it sent up a new shoot!
Although it isn't a succulent, this Dorstenia does create a thick underground tuber, which can be raised a bit above the soil level to create a nice caudex.
I water and fertilize this one regularly in the summer, when it is actively growing. I move it outside, where it gets morning sunlight and bright shade the rest of the day. When the days get shorter and the weather cooler, its leaves turn yellow and I cut back on the watering. During the winter, it sits wherever I have space for it and receives just enough water to keep the soil from going bone dry.
