🔍 Morphology

One of the tiniest species in the genus Delosperma. It forms small, compact clumps of very short stems covered in fleshy, narrow, cylindrical, grayish-green leaves. It looks like a tiny cushion of succulent leaves, from which surprisingly large, bright pink flowers emerge in proportion to the plant’s size.

📍 Distribution, habitat, and family

It is endemic to South Africa and is known from a very small area of the Roggeveld escarpment, near Sutherland, in the Northern Cape. It grows at elevations of about 1,500–1,600 m, in shallow soils over shale slabs, within the Roggeveld Shale Renosterveld vegetation. It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) because of its restricted range and the risk associated with overgrazing.

It belongs to the family Aizoaceae, subfamily Ruschioideae

🌡️ USDA ZONE 8b. It tolerates minimum temperatures of around −7 ºC as a general guide, provided it is well acclimated and the substrate remains dry. When grown in a pot, it is best protected from severe frost and prolonged dampness in cold weather.

☀️ Lighting: It needs plenty of light to maintain its compact form and encourage flowering. A very bright location is recommended, with gentle or direct sunlight after gradual acclimation. As a cultivation guideline, aim for a PAR DLI of 20–25 moles of photons per day, while avoiding overheating its small roots.

🌸 Flowering: It produces large pink flowers relative to the size of the plant. In its South African habitat, flowering takes place during the growing and flowering season of many species in the genus, between late winter and the austral spring. In Madrid, timing may vary depending on temperature, light, and watering practices.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. Growth is linked to cool conditions and water availability. It comes from a region with mainly winter rainfall, so a strict summer dormancy should not automatically be imposed. During active growth, water when the substrate is dry, allowing it to drain completely. Watering should be greatly reduced during hot periods and heat waves; when temperatures are low, avoid leaving the roots wet for days.

🚀 Nutrition: During active growth, we recommend Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae NPK (Ca-Mg) 6-5-15 (3-3), which provides a generous supply of potassium and assimilable calcium while avoiding excess nitrogen.

📏 7 × 7 cm black gourmet pot.

This is a unique Xerophytic plant, grown in Madrid in a technological square pot with a substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.