€7,95

🌱 Morphology

A bushy, highly branched succulent with an initially upright habit that may become trailing or hanging over time, reaching approximately 1 m in mature specimens. The stems are thin, brownish-gray in color, and become woody with age.

The leaves are opposite and decussate, fleshy, flat, and ovate in shape, measuring approximately 14–33 × 12–20 mm. The base narrows abruptly and the two leaves of each pair are partially fused around the stem, creating the characteristic appearance of a chain of overlapping leaves. They are grayish-green in color; in this clone, this is complemented by yellow-cream tones resulting from a variegated epidermis. Also notable are the frequently reddish margins and the acute or obtuse apex.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family

Family Crassulaceae. Its natural range extends from the Cape provinces to KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa. It grows in rocky environments, on hillsides, in crevices, and on rock faces within various plant communities in subtropical and semi-arid regions.

The species has a fairly wide distribution and crosses different climatic zones, so a single growth pattern based solely on the longitude or latitude of its distribution should not be applied automatically.

Kew currently recognizes two subspecies: C. perforata subsp. perforata and C. perforata subsp. kougaensis. The latter is a much smaller plant specialized for rock faces in the Eastern Cape.

❄️ Temperature

USDA Zone 9b–11b. It tolerates relatively low temperatures when dry and properly acclimated. In cultivation, it is advisable to protect it from prolonged frost and, above all, from the combination of cold and damp substrate.

Moderate temperatures favor its growth, while both intense heat and cold can temporarily reduce its activity.

☀️ Lighting

Intense lighting is recommended, with a target of 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ of DLI PAR.

Good light availability keeps the internodes short, promotes compact growth, and enhances the reddish coloration of the margins. Plants grown in low light should be progressively acclimated to high radiation levels.

💧 Growth cycle and watering

Crassula perforata exhibits greater ecological plasticity than Crassula species restricted to regions with exclusively winter rainfall. Its wide distribution, from the Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, means it is not appropriate to rigidly classify it as exclusively a winter or summer grower.

In cultivation, it is recommended to observe the plant's actual activity. During active growth phases, water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry completely before watering again.

During periods of extreme temperatures, especially intense heat, activity may decrease and watering should be spaced out considerably. It is not recommended to keep the substrate slightly damp continuously.

🌸 Flowering

The flowers appear in elongated terminal inflorescences, up to about 8 cm long, with numerous practically sessile flowers.

They are small, with a yellowish tubular corolla, oblong petals briefly fused at the base, and brown anthers. Flowering recorded for the subspecies perforata extends approximately from November to April in the Southern Hemisphere. In Spain, it can occur mainly during spring and summer, although the date may vary according to the cultivation cycle and environmental conditions.

🌿 Nutrition

During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended. Before the formation of inflorescences, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.

Do not fertilize when the plant has clearly stopped growing due to extreme temperatures or during a dormant period.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technical square pot with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

📏 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, after all, it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.

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