Cheiridopsis rostrata | Cape donkey ears
€15,90
🌱 Compact-growing perennial succulent that forms small, densely clustered mounds over time, about 3–8 cm tall and up to 18 cm in diameter. Its leaves are thick, fleshy, pale grayish-green, and feature numerous dark, translucent dots. They appear in pairs partially fused at the base, and new leaves emerge from the cleft of the previous ones, creating a succession of overlapping pairs. As summer approaches, they may acquire reddish hues.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to South Africa, in the Western Cape, from the Rietpoort and Vredenburg area to Hopefield and nearby inland areas. It grows on calcrete and granite outcrops, including coastal environments and Cape succulent shrublands. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family. It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) by SANBI, mainly due to habitat loss and degradation and urban and industrial expansion in parts of its range.
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 10a–11. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC when dry. During cold spells, the substrate must remain completely dry.
☀️ Lighting
It needs plenty of light to maintain its compact habit and encourage the leaves' natural coloration. During active growth, exceeding 20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended, with direct sun or very intense lighting.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It is a deciduous species that concentrates its activity during the cool seasons. During active growth, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. With the arrival of summer, its activity decreases, and watering should be significantly reduced until it is kept practically dry. The old sheaths and leaves help protect the new leaf pairs during the dormant period.
🌸 Flowering
It produces solitary, yellow flowers supported by long, thin pedicels. In the southern hemisphere, it blooms mainly between August and October, which corresponds roughly to February–April in Spain.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and potassium, such as Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae, is recommended, applied during watering and avoiding excessive nitrogen input.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technical square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.
7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.
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