€21,20

🌱 Morphology
An acaulescent, slow-growing, and long-lived Gasteria that proliferates from the base and can form dense clusters. The leaves, initially arranged in two opposite rows, are thick, fleshy, and dark green, with a smooth and often shiny epidermis, a characteristic that distinguishes it from Gasteria disticha, which has rough leaves. They measure approximately 9–23 × 3–8 cm, are lorate to lanceolate in shape, and end in an acute apex, although it may occasionally be obtuse. Both sides are speckled with white spots arranged in poorly defined transverse bands. The margins are wavy, with a leathery whitish band and small rounded teeth. Juvenile leaves are different: narrower, rough, and densely mottled. During droughts, they can acquire reddish or brownish-bronze tones that help camouflage them among the shrubs of the Karoo.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, section Gasteria, series Gasteria. 
It is endemic to South Africa and is widely distributed throughout the Klein Karoo, from Barrydale in the west to the vicinity of Uniondale in the east, extending north through the Willowmore district, between the Baviaanskloof and Swartberg mountains. It lives from low-lying areas up to about 1,000 m altitude, on flat land, slopes, and mountainous areas, usually protected under xerophytic shrubs. It grows on sandstone and shale, as well as conglomerates and other rocky substrates, in sandy and well-drained soils. Precipitation is around 200–300 mm per year, distributed between winter and summer, with a tendency toward a dry summer season.

❄️ Temperature — USDA 9a
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 °C. Although its habitat can experience light frosts, in cultivation it is recommended to protect it from intense frost and, especially, from cold combined with persistent humidity. Horticultural data place its limit at USDA 9b.

☀️ Lighting
Prefers bright shade to semi-shade. In nature, it grows protected by shrubs, although it can withstand plenty of light and even direct sun if acclimated. In hot climates, it is advisable to avoid intense sun during the central hours of the day. Approximately 10–20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended to maintain compact growth and good coloration without the risk of burns.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Opportunistic. Despite living in an arid region with a marked tendency for summer drought, rainfall arrives in both winter and summer. SANBI expressly notes that Gasteria brachyphylla is best cultivated with year-round watering. It is recommended to water deeply when the substrate is dry and adapt the frequency to the temperature, reducing it during periods of cold or very slow growth, but without imposing absolute dormancy.

🌸 Flowering
It produces a racemose inflorescence, simple or with one or two side branches, which can reach 90 cm and exceptionally 111 cm. The tubular flowers measure approximately 12–22 mm, with a swollen pink base and a white upper tube streaked with green. In Spain, flowering is concentrated roughly between January and August, with greater intensity towards March. The flowers protrude above the shrubs and are pollinated by nectar-feeding birds. SANBI indicates that it reaches flowering size at approximately 4 years. Sufficient evidence has not been found to consider it reblooming with several defined pulses within the same season.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthias & Co. is recommended, with a high content of potassium and bioavailable calcium. It is applied with irrigation, reducing fertilization when temperatures are low or growth slows down.

12x12 cm black gourmet 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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