Faucaria britteniae | Bristly tiger jaws
€10,60
🌱 Morphology
A small, perennial, compact, and cespitose succulent, generally stemless, although it may develop a short woody stem with age. It forms rosettes of fleshy, ovate-triangular to rhomboid leaves, up to 5–7 cm long, with a marked keel and a characteristic “chin” at the apex. The epidermis, covered by a thick waxy layer, is greyish-green or partially whitish and is dotted with numerous small greyish-white spots. The margins and the keel feature a white or reddish band and between 6 and 10 teeth per side, ending in long, recurved bristles. This is an exceptional characteristic within Faucaria.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, in the vicinity of Albany, Grahamstown, and Fort Beaufort. It grows in Valley Bushveld and dry grasslands, on silty soils or among stones, in grassy clearings and under small shrubs, with a preference for north-facing slopes. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family. SANBI considers it Least Concern (LC) and reports a stable population.
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 9b–11. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 ºC, provided the substrate is kept completely dry during cold spells. This hardiness is based on horticultural data, so it should not be interpreted as a guarantee against prolonged frosts.
☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it requires very high lighting, with a target of over 20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR. Direct sun encourages compactness and can intensify the reddish tones of the leaves.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. Its main activity takes place from late summer to winter. During active growth, water abundantly, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. In summer, reduce water supply drastically, keeping it practically dry during the dormancy period.
🌸 Flowering
Very large flowers for the size of the plant, 5–8 cm in diameter, yellow, with the reverse of the petals tinged with purplish-pink. In its habitat, it blooms mainly from March to August, which corresponds approximately to September-February in Madrid. It may occasionally produce flowers outside this period.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and potassium is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae, applied during watering and avoiding excessive nitrogen inputs.
This is an inimitable Xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.
7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.
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