Aloinopsis spatulata | Sutherland Wartfig
€10,60
🔍 Morphology: A dwarf, compact, and cespitose succulent Aizoaceae, which develops a thick tuberous root that branches at the top and produces several erect stems. Each branch forms a small rosette with 2–3 pairs of leaves. The leaves are fleshy, spatulate in shape, relatively broad, and have a thickened apex. Their surface features numerous prominent tubercles, which give it a rough appearance and a grayish-green color. Over the years, it can form a significant underground storage organ.
📍 Distribution, habitat, and family: It is native to the Northern Cape of South Africa, especially in the Roggeveld Plateau region around Sutherland, where it grows in arid and stony areas. It is found in gravelly terrain and on substrates derived from shale, in a region characterized by very cold winters. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family. Aloinopsis crassipes and Titanopsis spathulata are some of its botanical synonyms.
🌡️ USDA ZONE 5b. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −26 ºC when completely dry and properly acclimatized. There are cultivation experiences in Colorado where it has survived temperatures close to −29 ºC, making it one of the most cold-hardy Aloinopsis species. Even so, these figures should not be interpreted as a guarantee for a potted plant: drainage, substrate moisture, and the duration of the frost significantly modify the actual resistance.
☀️ Lighting: It needs plenty of light to keep the rosettes compact and encourage abundant flowering. It can be grown in full sun during cool periods, provided there is good ventilation. In summer, when temperatures are high, it is advisable to protect it from the combination of extreme heat and intense radiation. As a cultivation goal during the active period, a PAR radiation of over 20 moles of photons per day promotes compact growth.
🌸 Flowering: It produces solitary flowers, relatively large in relation to the size of the plant, with deep pink to magenta petals, one of the most distinctive features of this species within the genus. Flowering occurs mainly during the spring and may last for several weeks under favorable conditions.
💧 Growth cycle and watering: Summer dormancy. It comes from a region with cold and relatively dry winters, with activity concentrated during the cooler seasons. Watering should be done during the active period, abundantly and allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. As temperatures rise in late spring and throughout the summer, its activity slows down and watering should be significantly reduced. During periods of intense heat, it is preferable to keep it dry. With the drop in temperatures at the end of summer, activity gradually resumes and watering can be reinstated.
🚀 Nutrition: During the active growth period, a fertilizer high in assimilable calcium and potassium is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae, applied during watering and avoiding excessive nitrogen input.
📏 This is an inimitable Xerophytic plant cultivated in Madrid in a technological square pot, with the substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.
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