June 06, 2004
Devil's Backbone (Redbird Cactus)
I have a 30-year-old Devil's Backbone (a houseplant, popular in the 70's) that has bloomed for the first time since I've been its keeper (it was given to me several years ago by my mother-in-law). Now I understand why another name is "Redbird Cactus" -- the flowers look like little red birds!
The interesting zig-zag shape of the stems make it easy to tell why they call it the Devil's Backbone.
Although this is a houseplant, I keep it outside in my shaded backyard all summer, and move it into the greenhouse just before the temperatures fall into the 40's or lower. A light frost will scar the plant and definitely do some damage, so it should be protected from freezing for sure.
Devil's backbone is easily propagated by cuttings. . . either keep them in water in a vase, or plant them directly into moist soil. This is a very hardy plant: I've had a vaseful of cuttings completely dry out and many of them still survived. The majority of the leaves will turn pink in color and many will drop when the plant is in stress (especially when it needs water). Some pink, however, appears to be "normal" since the plant seems perfectly happy with the amount of rain we've been getting this spring.