Crassula barklyi | Crassula 'Pangolin'
€7,95
🌱 Morphology
Pangolin Crassula. A perennial succulent, although it can occasionally behave as a biennial, of small size, generally 5–9 cm tall, and highly branched from the base. The stems are erect or slightly decumbent and form compact clusters.
The leaves are one of its most striking features: broadly ovate, transversely depressed, and cup-shaped, approximately 1–1.5 cm long. They are arranged very tightly and overlap one another around the stem, hiding it almost completely. They are green to grayish-green and have a wide membranous margin covered by a dense fringe of erect cilia, which gives the plant its “bandaged finger” or small reptile-like appearance.
It differs from Crassula columnaris, with which it can be confused, by its abundant branching from the base and its widely membranous and densely ciliated leaf margins.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Family Crassulaceae. It is endemic to South Africa and is found mainly in the western sector of the Cape provinces, in the Namaqualand region, from near Vanrhynsdorp towards Port Nolloth.
It grows in the Succulent Karoo, on gentle slopes covered with quartzite gravel, usually between 50 and 500 m in altitude. It can also appear in very shallow rocky soils around granite outcrops and small rocky walls.
The name Crassula teres Marloth is a synonym for C. barklyi; therefore, both names can be found in collections and in trade, but Crassula barklyi is currently accepted.
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 9b–11b.
It comes from an arid environment in the Succulent Karoo and can withstand relatively low temperatures if kept dry and perfectly drained. As with other Karoo succulents, the risk increases considerably when cold and wet substrate coincide.
☀️ Lighting
High lighting is recommended, with a target of 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ of DLI PAR during the growth period.
High lighting helps keep internodes short and maintains the characteristic compact arrangement of the leaves. With low radiation, the stems can elongate and the plant loses much of its compact and scaly appearance.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It comes from the western Succulent Karoo, a region with rainfall primarily associated with cool seasons and marked summer drought. Therefore, its period of greatest activity occurs mainly during the moderate temperatures of autumn, winter, and spring, while intense summer heat causes a slowdown.
During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry completely before watering again. The next hydration should only be performed when the substrate has lost all moisture.
During summer, especially with high temperatures, watering should be notably reduced and excellent ventilation maintained. It is not about keeping it permanently dry throughout the summer, but avoiding the coincidence of heat and prolonged moisture at the roots.
🌸 Flowering
The inflorescence appears at the end of the stems as a rounded terminal head, partially hidden among the upper leaves.
The flowers are relatively large relative to the size of the plant, ampullaceous or small flask-shaped, with the corolla fused at the base and cream-colored. The petals reach approximately 9–11 mm and end in a blunt apex; the anthers are yellow.
In its natural habitat, flowering occurs at the end of the favorable period, mainly towards austral spring. In Madrid, it can be expected approximately between March and May, although the date may vary depending on temperatures and cultivation regime.
🌿 Nutrition
Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, applied during the active growth period and reducing or suspending fertilization during the summer slowdown phase.
Desert CHOICE® Flowering can be used when the plant is close to emitting the inflorescence.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:
S -> 9cm x 9cm
M-> 14cm x 14 cm
L->16cm x 16 cm
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The measurements of the plant are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly, because it is a living being! Each of the Desert CITY plants has unique characteristics.
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