Gasteria langebergensis | Langeberg Gasteria
€21,20
Gasteria langebergensis (Van Jaarsv.) Van Jaarsv. & Zonn.
🌱 Morphology
Small, compact, slow-growing, acaulescent Gasteria, initially solitary but capable of multiplying from the base to form clusters of 5–10 heads, about 9–15 cm tall and up to 18–24 cm in diameter. Each rosette has 8–12 leaves arranged in two opposite rows (distichous), narrow, linear-lanceolate, approximately 8–12 × 2.2–2.7 cm, ascending and then more spreading.
The leaf surface is matte, grayish-green, densely speckled with small white spots that form poorly defined transverse bands. It is slightly rough to the touch (asperulous), a characteristic that helps distinguish it from some closely related species. During the summer drought, the leaves can take on reddish tones and their upper surface becomes channeled. The margins are wavy and provided with tiny whitish teeth; the apex is acute, sometimes acuminate, with a small rigid tip slightly offset from the center.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, section Longiflorae, series Multifariae, genus Gasteria. Although originally described as Gasteria disticha var. langebergensis, it is currently recognized as an independent species.
It is endemic to the Western Cape, South Africa, and its known range is concentrated between Worcester and Robertson, on the lower southern slopes of the Langeberg. It grows on rocky outcrops, mainly on shale and dolomite, within the Breede Shale Renosterveld and Succulent Karoo vegetation, sheltered under nurse shrubs that provide shade and protection from the intense summer heat.
It is a species with an extremely restricted distribution: the SANBI assessment points to a very small area of occupancy and two known locations, with habitat loss associated with limestone mining in one of them.
❄️ Temperature — USDA 9
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −7 ºC. In cultivation, however, it is advisable to protect it from intense frosts accompanied by persistent humidity.
☀️ Lighting
Shade–partial shade. In nature, it grows protected by shrubs, and SANBI recommends protecting it from intense direct sun. Indicative DLI PAR: 10–20 mol/m²/day.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It is adapted to a regime of winter rains and marked dryness during the summer. The leaves regain their maximum turgidity after the winter rains and function as a reserve to get through the long dry period. It is recommended to water during the cool growing period, allowing the substrate to dry out partially, and to greatly reduce water supply during the summer.
🌸 Flowering
Flowering occurs in the southern winter, mainly from June to July, approximately equivalent to December-January in Madrid. The inflorescence is extraordinarily long for the size of the plant, reaching 65–84 cm, and usually rests on the branches of the nurse shrub. The raceme, about 39–41 cm long, can bear 28–34 flowers, although up to eight may be open simultaneously. The flowers are about 20 mm long, pendulous, with a swollen base, pinkish-orange in the lower half and white with green streaks in the upper half. They are pollinated mainly by nectarivorous birds.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthias & Co. is recommended, with a high content of bioassimilable potassium and calcium. It is applied with irrigation, reducing or suspending fertilization during 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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