San Diego Botanic Garden Getting Exotic, Succulent Tree

The San Diego Botanic Garden is moving an exotic tree into its collection, with the help of a forklift.

A rare, unusual, and crazy-looking succulent from South Africa, a Cyphostema juttae, is being donated to the San Diego Botanic Garden by Paul and Ann Tuskes.

Known as the “Tree Grape” or the “Nambian Grape,” or Droog-my-keel in Afrikaans, this particular plant is so heavy, it requires a forklift to lift it from the ground outside of the Tuskes’ home in order to move it to its new, permanent home at the San Diego Botanic Garden.

“Cyphostemma juttae is an odd member of the grape family (vitaceae). This species produces a bizarre canopy of serrated, blue-green leaves which emerge each spring from swollen, tree-like trunks that are lined with a papery, peeling bark,” said Julian Duval, President and CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden.

“Each plant takes on a unique shape with its own ‘personality’ and regularly attains 4 or 5 feet with time.

“ However this specimen may be a record for its size. It is the largest one I have ever seen and is easily 7 feet tall,” said Duval.

This specimen has outgrown its space and is currently dormant, but will be replanted at the Garden in April or May, right before its growing season in the summer months.

The Tree Grape is named for the large, grape-like bunches of bright-wine colored berries it produces near the end of the summer, making this succulent a showpiece for plant enthusiasts to grow in containers or in their own private gardens in Southern California.