Conicosia elongata | Pig's potato
€10,60
🌱 Small perennial succulent with a subterranean tuber that acts as a storage organ and prostrate stems. The leaves are narrow, fleshy, and cylindrical or semi-cylindrical, ranging from green to grayish-green, and can reach several centimeters in length. The aerial part disappears during the summer, while the underground organ remains protected. The flowers stand out for their large size relative to the plant and their numerous thin petals.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to South Africa, distributed across sandy areas of the Northern Cape and Western Cape, from the Richtersveld and Namaqualand to the Karoo and up to Touws River. It lives mainly in sandy and well-drained terrain. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family. Mesembryanthemum elongatum and Herrea elongata are historical synonyms.
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 9a–11. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −7 ºC in dry conditions. As it is a species with a subterranean organ, protection from winter moisture is as important as the minimum temperature.
☀️ Lighting
It requires very high light levels during its active period. It is recommended to reach more than 20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR, with direct sun exposure or very intense light. The flowers also need high irradiance to open fully and they remain open during the central hours and part of the afternoon.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. This species is adapted to the winter rainfall regime of Namaqualand. The aerial parts die back during the summer and activity is concentrated in the cool season. During active growth, it is recommended to water abundantly and let the substrate dry out completely before watering again. As it enters summer, water should be progressively reduced until the substrate is kept practically dry.
🌸 Flowering
The flowers are white or cream, although yellow forms are also observed. They appear on short peduncles during the Southern Hemisphere spring, approximately September-November, which corresponds to March-May in Spain. The flowers open mainly from midday to the afternoon.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with high content of 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 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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