Cotyledon pendens | Cliff cotyledon
€21,20
🌱 Morphology
Hanging cotyledon. Perennial shrubby succulent, highly branched, with soft and flexible stems that form dense hanging curtains of up to 60 cm. Young stems are whitish-green due to a fine pruina and have small glandular hairs that disappear with age. The leaves, opposite and very fleshy, measure approximately 18–25 × 10–15 mm, are elliptical to ovate, grayish-green, and also covered in pruina. The apex ends in a small mucro, and the margins can take on reddish tones.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Family Crassulaceae. It is an extremely localized endemic of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, known from the cliffs of the Mbashe River, around Tsolorha, where it grows at an altitude of about 300–400 m. It is a true cremnophyte, specialized in living in cracks of vertical rock faces, mainly on shale and with a south-facing orientation. The habitat receives mainly summer rains.
❄️ Temperature / USDA Zone: 9b–11b
It comes from an area with relatively mild winters and practically no frost. In cultivation, it can tolerate moderate drops if kept completely dry, but it is recommended to protect it from frost and the combination of low temperatures and root moisture.
☀️ Lighting
High lighting is recommended, with a target of 12–20 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ of DLI PAR. Although it receives intense light in its habitat, it grows on south-facing walls and in partially protected situations. In cultivation, it should be progressively acclimated to direct sun, especially during the summer.
💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Winter rest. Its natural habitat has a predominantly summer rainfall regime. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and let the substrate dry out completely before watering again. During the winter, irrigation should be considerably spaced out, avoiding constant moisture. Its roots are fibrous and not specialized for water storage, so a highly draining substrate is especially important.
🌸 Flowering
The inflorescences arise from the ends of the stems and are also pendulous, reaching about 5–9 cm. Each can carry up to four flowers. The flowers are bell-shaped, reddish-orange, about 4–4.5 cm long, with open lobes. Flowering occurs mainly in summer, and the flowers are pollinated by nectarivorous birds, especially sunbirds.
🌿 Nutrition
During the growing period, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, avoiding excess nitrogen that could cause stems to become too tender and elongated. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technical square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
In a 13 cm hanging pot
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