The Devils Backbone

Commonly known as the Devils backbone or Veldt grape this is my cutting of Cissus quadrangularis. It grows very commonly in Kenya in dry scrubby bush where is usually scrambles over low thorny shrubs in a tangle of jointed and twisting branches.
In fact most people mistake it for a Euphorbia. (I did) It is fleshy and almost cacti like in appearance and resembles several species of Euphorbia that are common place in its habitat.

There is some question as to where it originates as it is widespread in Africa, Southeast Asia and Arabia. It is reputed to have considerable medicinal properties and is grown commercially as a bone healer. It has been used medicinally since ancient times and lists among its capabilities to have antifungal, antioxidant, antibacterial and analgesic effects.

Knowing of my love for unusual plants, I was given three pieces of Cissus from a plant that had originated near Lake Baringo in Northern Kenya.
It is a very tough plant (I haven't killed it yet!) and gets its name from the quadrangular nature of its stems - being 4 sided with a sharp leathery edge along each angle.
Being succulent in nature and not able to find any information on how to root it, I treated it as such.
I let the cuttings dry as I would a cactus for about two weeks. They did not form a scab but I went ahead and planted them as I was now back in the UK and it was the end of December.
I used a cactus and succulent mix with a top dressing of grit. I think I also mixed in some grit with the compost to make it as free draining as possible.
Being long and not having much weight I had to anchor them to a stake pushed through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
I left them on the dry side in a warm/cool east facing windowsill above the boiler for about 3 months. I watered sparingly with bottled water, as I thought it might be a bit of a shock for it to be exposed to our chlorinated and very hard water until it had started to grow.
Once the days started to warm and lengthen I moved the pot to a southern facing windowsill and watered once a week.
Six weeks later little nubs appeared at the joints!
The nubs turned into little growths with a tuft of leaves, at which point I decided it needed the greenhouse.

 The leaves give it away as being part of the grape family. They are very 'grape like', it also produces tendrils another grape trait.
It becomes quite stiff and rigid once the growths mature, and it is a rather ungainly and awkward plant to house. I think I will have to re-pot and use a framework to support it next year as it otherwise hangs and will break.

The new growths are big and healthy, unfortunately the end of summer came just as it seemed to be getting into its stride.
It is now back indoors in a cool windowsill on the dry side. It has dropped most of its leaves but it is deciduous in its native habitat, the leaves shrivel and drop in the hot dry season. leaving just a tangle of bare limbs.
I will wait to see if it ever flowers.