Gasteria armstrongii ‘Lafitte’ | Armstrong's Ivory Gasteria
€26,50
🌱 Morphology
An exceptionally elegant form of Gasteria armstrongii, recognizable by a feature that immediately separates it from typical forms of the species: its leaves have a completely smooth epidermis, lacking the densely tuberculate and rough surface characteristic of G. armstrongii. The leaves are very fleshy, short, broad, and compact, arranged in two rows and forming a rosette almost flush with the ground. Its grayish-green color and polished texture give it a ceramic appearance, like a small mineral sculpture. It slowly produces offsets from the base and can form compact clusters. ‘Lafitte’ remains a horticultural designation; no reliable documentation regarding the breeder, date of origin, or parentage has been located.
🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, section Longiflorae, series Multifariae, genus Gasteria. The species comes from a small area in the South African Eastern Cape, near Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay, where it lives among rocks and scrub vegetation, protected from direct sunlight. ‘Lafitte’ is a horticultural selection and not an independent wild population.
❄️ Temperature — USDA 10a
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to approximately −1 °C. It is recommended to protect it from frost and, especially, from the combination of low temperatures and damp substrate.
☀️ Lighting
Shade–bright semi-shade. Filtered light helps maintain compact growth and the grayish-green tone of the leaves. Approximately 10–20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended, avoiding intense sun during the central hours of the day.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Opportunistic. It can grow and utilize water at different times of the year when conditions are favorable. It is recommended to water when the substrate has partially dried, ensuring good drainage, and to significantly reduce watering during cold periods.
🌸 Flowering
It produces an upright inflorescence with the characteristic pendulous and bulbous flowers of Gasteria, generally pinkish or reddish at the base and greenish toward the tip. Flowering of G. armstrongii occurs mainly during the summer.
🌿 Nutrition
During the period of active growth, Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthias & Co. is recommended, with a high content of potassium and bioavailable calcium. It is applied with irrigation, reducing or suspending fertilization during the summer dormancy.
9x9 cm gourmet black pot
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
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