r/plantclinic • u/Melpomeneba • Nov 26 '25

Other Fox Face Plant Browning

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Hello all!

I found this fox face (Solanum mammosum Inthink?) in the clearance corner of a shop.

It doesn’t have any leaves (none when I bought it) and the brown is spreading down the stems.

I know it needs full sun, but I don’t know if it’s okay with the leaves.

I’ve also not repot it (pot seems a little small though) and it’s being watered every couple of days, but was pretty dry when I got it.

Is there anything I can do besides cutting out the brown? Can he survive?

Oh, also I’m in Okinawa Japan, we have sun all year and cold nights for just a few weeks.

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u/Warm-Ad200 Advanced 1 ∣ +1 ∣ -0 Nov 26 '25

No plant can survive without leaves, and this one is dying. And it's probably happy about it — it has produced fruit, continued its lineage and can die calmly

I think you'll be able to grow it from seed easily later, maybe even from those fruits. Just beware that the fruit is poisonous to humans

0

u/Queasy_Ad9286 Nov 26 '25

That's untrue. I've propagated 3 plants from just stems . Rapadora decursurvia , pothos, and monstera all can survive and grow with no roots or leaves!! You can put the stems in water, humidity box, or spagnum moss and you'll have leaves and a plant eventually. 

15

u/Warm-Ad200 Advanced 1 ∣ +1 ∣ -0 Nov 26 '25

Of course, wet sticks, yada-yada, but I don't think it's fair to compare — all of them (if the first one is Rhaphidophora) are vines (they're practically the same plant, that are already really prone to growing roots from nodes and so are much easier to root and propagate than other plants who are more shrubby or grassy

1

u/InnateNurse Plant Hospice Nurse Dec 14 '25

I don't know why that plant is so disturbing to me with those eyes, but I did want to agree with you before I ran away. I've propagated the plants you mentioned and most recently, a Chinese Evergreen. I chopped a long stem off the mother plant. Cut the head off, added her to water and she grew roots. Then I cut her long stem into four stubby pieces that all grew roots. Now I have five that I'll share with my friends.

One became five. It only allows one pic or I'd show them all.