what is my plant?
IA,
United States 
Hi, I am a real neophyte when it comes to plants. My mother passed away recently and I am doing well adapting her plants to my household a state away from where they were used to. (I live in Iowa, USA). I can deal with philodendron and the two cacti and the aloe plant but the other plant has me at my wit's end. I dont' know what it is so I can't look up how to care for it and it is dying. Mom called it a lefse plant as the leaves grew to be about 3-4 inches across, plate shaped and a uniform green. (The lefse part comes from being in a Norwegian community - looks like little rounds of lefse.) The stems are rather bark like rather than smooth and brown rather than green. At it's peak of health it was about 2 feet tall and had many many stems with leaves at the end of each one. Now, it is turning brown and losing it's leaves. The only thing that has changed is the pot it is living in. It has survived in my house since May of 2006. Can anyone identify this plant for me? I have searched the internet to no avail. If I can't save this one,I would like to find another on just to have to remember Mom with. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
13 Oct, 2008
Answers
Elliemae, I've got a lefse plant too! And I love it! Big round leaves, almost like lily pads - single leaf on a single round stem attached to a woody stalk. Stem attaches near but off the center off the leaf and leaf is perpendicular, again like a lily pad, right?
I bought it a few years ago, back then "lefse plant" brought me nothing on google. Now there's two people with the mysterious lefse plant...and I guess I'm the 3rd. Someone said it might be a peperonia, but there are so many varieties 1500+ that I haven't been able to find the description or image to confirm it.
Let me know if you find anything - I'll share whatever I find, too!
14 Oct, 2008
ooo! http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9710
14 Oct, 2008
Ok, so it's the Chinese Money Tree! Pilea peperomioides
And look what you can do with it: http://www.jardins-interieurs.com/v3/images/especes/pilea.peperomioides.jpg
Enjoy your plant! :)
14 Oct, 2008
That's it!! A great big thank you to all of you for your help. I was going to take a picture of it's one last stem and leav and alas the plant has made it's journey to the big greenhouse in the sky. I am so happy to know what it is/was so I can locate another one and learn how to care for it. All the leaves turned black, wilted and fell off the stems. None of my other plants are doing this, so I must have done something only the lefse plant didn't like.
Again, thanks to all of you; I know where I will come with any future questions!
Elliemae
14 Oct, 2008
Previous question
« spiney pod, light purple trumpets,serated leaves. spiney pod about 2 inches wide
Could this be what I call a Penny Tree? Try google images there is one on there, although I am not sure where the 'lefse' would come in as lefse looks similar to a pancake to me. Regards Cheryl
13 Oct, 2008