String of hearts, also known as “rosary vine” or “chain of hearts,” is a fabulous vining houseplant that looks like it is straight out of a fairy tale.
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While the species plant, Ceropegia woodii needs no improvement, there are nonetheless several fascinating varieties and cultivars, with different leaf shapes and colors, that fans of this succulent will undoubtedly find utterly beguiling.
In this article we’re going to explore nine different types of rosary vine, so that you can choose your favorite – or add one or two more to your houseplant collection!
Here’s a glimpse of the stars of this tale:
9 Types of String of Hearts
Before we get started on this yarn of nine plants, do you need to review care requirements for rosary vine?
If so, be sure to read our article on growing string of hearts, where you’ll find guidance on light exposure, watering, and soil requirements, as well as plenty of other helpful tips!
1. Orange River
‘Orange River’ may be the rarest cultivar of C. woodii – often discussed and admired among rosary vine enthusiasts, but not very easy to find!
The foliage of this green-leaved cultivar reportedly takes on an orange blush when exposed to a lot of bright light, providing the inspiration for its name.
Even without the orange tinting, the green, triangular-shaped leaves are an attractive variation on the straight species.
Live ‘Orange River’ Plant in 2” or 4” Pot
Ready to let in a river of orange-tinted foliage? You’ll find ‘Orange River’ available in two- or four-inch pots from the Succulents Depot via Walmart.
2. Pink Edge
If the lavender colored leaf undersides of the straight species are what draws you to this plant, you may be even more enticed by ‘Pink Edge’ aka ‘Pearl Moon.’
With this variegated cultivar, it’s as if the coloring on the undersides of the leaves has curled around the edges and pinked up a bit, giving the foliage an overall impression of pinky-purple cuteness with splashes of dark green, and silver veins.
The leaves of ‘Pink Edge’ have the same heart shape as C. woodii.
While ‘Pink Edge’ provides a flashier vision of vines than the straight species, like the other variegated cultivars, it grows more slowly.
Live Pink Edge Plant in 2.5” Pot
Are you ready to fully embrace your inner pinky-purple cuteness? You’ll find ‘Pink Edge’ available for purchase in two-and-a-half-inch pots from Hirt’s Gardens via Walmart.
3. Silver Glory
‘Silver Glory’ has taken the silver mottling on the species plant to an extreme.
Rather than the light silver veining and mottling of the species plant, on ‘Silver Glory’ the silver has nearly taken over the leaf, with just a little bit of green remaining on the leaf margins.
The result is a cool colored specimen that seems to shine.
The leaves of ‘Silver Glory’ are also a bit different than the straight species – this one has kidney shaped leaves rather than heart shaped foliage.
Live ‘Silver Glory’ Plant in 3” Pot
If you love gray or silver colored plants in the garden, such as dusty miller, lamb’s ear, wormwood, or sagebrush, now you can enjoy those same metallic tones on a houseplant.
You can purchase a live ‘Silver Glory’ specimen in a three-inch pot from Winter Greenhouse via Walmart.
4. String of Arrows
Why stick to hearts when you can expand your houseplant collection into strings of other things? String of arrows has – you guessed it – arrow-shaped foliage.
String of arrows (C. woodii) has leaves that are slightly longer and pointier than those of string of hearts, and are more triangular shaped.
Its foliage is emerald green – rather than dark green – with silver veining and mottling.
Live String of Arrows Plant in 6” Pot
Feel like cupid lifted his bow in your direction when you saw this plant? Purchase a live plant in a six-inch pot from the Plant Farm Store via Amazon.
5. String of Daggers
Our previous selection showed us how easy it was to turn a heart into a weapon. I’m sure there’s some morality lesson there, but let’s skip that and stick to plants!
This selection does continue in the same pointed direction as our previous one, with its common name, “string of daggers.”
The leaves of this naturally occurring, possibly hybrid variety of C. woodii are dark green with silver veining, and have an elongated, oval shape.
String of daggers may be the perfect plant for the goth in your life – or feel free to ignore its common name and enjoy it for its vines of oval-shaped foliage!
6. String of Hearts
Finally we arrive at C. woodii, the straight species, and the plant you’re most likely thinking of when you hear the term “string of hearts.”
This fast-growing houseplant has dark green leaves with silver veining and mottling, and foliage that is distinctly heart-shaped.
While the topsides of the leaves may evoke the appearance of English ivy, the lavender-gray hued leaf undersides bring a bit more whimsy.
And with a clear advantage over ivy in the safety department, rosary vine is a nontoxic houseplant.
Live Rosary Vine Plant in a 6” Pot
Sometimes it’s just hard to beat the original. To purchase this fairytale favorite, you can find live rosary vine plants in six-inch pots from the House Plant Shop via Amazon.
7. String of Needles
You’ll have to really use your imagination to see heart shapes in the long narrow leaves of string of needles.
There’s a reason for that – the hearts just aren’t there, either literally or figuratively.
Although this plant with wispy, medium-green colored foliage is often claimed to be a variety of C. woodii, it is in fact a different species.
This member of the Ceropegia genus is officially classified as C. debilis, though in houseplant aficionado circles, you’ll most likely find it described as C. linearis subsp. debilis, which is considered a synonym.
This plant is a close relative of string of hearts, but a different species in the same genus. However, since it’s often cited as a cultivar of C. woodii, we’re including it in this article.
Just a heads up though, while chain of hearts is considered nontoxic and safe for households with kids and pets, as a different species, C. debilis may not be suitable for such households.
If you are struck by the needle-like foliage of this option but prefer an alternative that is kid and pet-safe, you’ll find very close lookalikes among our selection of 29 of the most fabulous hoyas. This is not so surprising since hoyas and Ceropegia species are in the same plant family.
Live String of Needles Plant in 6” Pot
Love the wispy, green foliage of this houseplant? You’ll find live plants in six-inch pots available for purchase from the Succulents Box Store via Amazon.
8. String of Spades
Returning to cultivars of C. woodii, string of spades, aka ‘Heartless’ has dark green leaves with silver veining and mottling like the straight species.
Compared to chain of hearts, though, its leaves are more elongated and pointier, closer to the shape of the spades you’d find in a deck of playing cards.
Live String of Spades in 6” Pot
You may want to count this as the “ace” of your rosary vine collection. Find live plants in six-inch pots from the Succulents Box Store via Amazon.
9. Variegated
Our final selection is variegated chain of hearts, aka C. woodii ‘Variegata,’ a lovely variety that has dark green and silver leaves with wide, cream-colored margins.
Some leaves on variegated chain of hearts may display a spot of pink here and there, but not nearly as extensively as ‘Pink Edge.’
This variety is a slower grower than non-variegated types of rosary vine, but it more than makes up for this shortcoming with its uniquely patterned foliage.
Make sure to provide this cultivar with plenty of light to retain its leaf variegation.
Live Variegated String of Hearts Plant in 3” Pot
Take a variegated vow – if you’re ready to commit to variegated chain of hearts, you’ll find plants available for purchase in three-inch pots from Winter Greenhouse via Walmart.
A Sweetheart of a Selection
With these enchanting rosary vine options, I’ll guess your first inclination is going to be like mine – “one of each, please!”
Which are your favorites? Do you know of any others that weren’t included in this list? Not sure which type you have? Let us know in the comments and be sure to share your photos.
If you love trailing succulent houseplants, you can keep discovering more of them right here with our articles:
I have a vine and I have no clue what it’s called other than “ Beautiful”💜
Hi Holly,
Thanks for posting your comment and photos. That is not a string of hearts as I think you guessed, but I can tell you what it is!
The plant in your photos is called pink knotweed (Polygonum capitatum).
Hope this helps!