Cheiridopsis umdausensis | Umdaus snow clock
€10,60
🌱A rare perennial succulent with a subshrubby habit that eventually forms compact clumps up to about 20 cm tall and 45 cm in diameter. It features short, thick, chestnut-colored stems, on which pairs of dark green fleshy leaves are arranged, with a characteristic whitish covering of small bumps. The keel is short and serrated, and small teeth sometimes appear on the margins as well. As summer approaches, the leaves acquire maroon tones.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to the Northern Cape province, South Africa, where it is currently known only from a single location in the Umdaus mountains, northwest of Steinkopf. It grows on granite summits and upper slopes covered with quartz, within arid succulent shrubland environments. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family. It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) by SANBI due to its small known population and the potential threat of overgrazing and trampling by goats.
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 10a–11. Tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC. It can withstand temperatures close to 0 ºC without damage, but it is recommended to protect it from more intense drops in temperature.
☀️ Lighting
It needs plenty of light to maintain its compact habit and develop the characteristic coloration of its leaves. Lighting greater than 20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended, with direct sun or very intense light. In its habitat, it may benefit from some light shade during the hours of greatest sun exposure.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It is a species adapted to the winter rainfall regime of Namaqualand. Growth is concentrated during the cool and wet period, while as summer approaches, the leaves may acquire reddish tones and reduce their activity. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. Watering should be significantly reduced in summer.
🌸 Flowering
It produces solitary light yellow flowers, which normally open during the central hours of the day and close at nightfall. Flowering occurs mainly between August and September in the Southern Hemisphere, approximately equivalent to February-March in Spain.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and potassium is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae, applied during watering and avoiding excessive nitrogen inputs.
This is an inimitable Xerophytic plant grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.
7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.
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