€7,95

Gasteria croucheri subsp. pendulifolia (van Jaarsv.) Zonn. 

🌱 Morphology
 Small, caulescent and decumbent Gasteria, extraordinarily adapted to living on vertical walls. It proliferates vigorously from the base via short stolons and forms dense colonies up to about 30 cm in diameter. The leaves are arranged in a rosette and, instead of remaining erect, they arch and end up hanging downwards, reaching about 30–45 cm in length and up to 4.5 cm in width. They are linear-lanceolate to falcate, relatively narrow, fleshy, and triangular in cross-section, curving progressively toward the ground. The epidermis is smooth, dark green to glaucous green, with faint white spots that can be arranged irregularly or form transverse bands. The margin is entire, without teeth, and the apex is obtuse to acute, with a small mucro. During the dry season, the leaves become deeply channeled and may acquire a purplish hue.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
It is a taxon from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, restricted mainly to the cliffs of the Durban area, especially Shongweni and the Mgeni (Umgeni) River Valley. The original description comes from a south-facing rock face in Mamba Valley, in the Umgeni Valley. It lives on sandstone cliffs of the Natal Group, taking advantage of cracks, ledges, and fissures where organic matter accumulates. These are cool, protected, and generally partially shaded sites, although exposed plants can acquire a more glaucous and compact coloration. The area belongs to the subtropical summer rainfall region of KwaZulu-Natal.

Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, section Longiflorae, series Longifoliae. In Van Jaarsveld's classification, it was included in Longifoliae together with G. acinacifolia, G. croucheri and G. tukhelensis. Nuclear DNA analyses demonstrated its close relationship with G. croucheri and prompted its reduction to subspecies rank.

❄️ Temperature — USDA 9b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of down to approximately −4 ºC in cultivation. However, there is no sufficiently solid primary source to consider −4 ºC a guaranteed resistance; this comes from horticultural estimates and it should be kept protected from intense frost, especially with moist substrate.

☀️ Lighting
It prefers shade–partial shade, consistent with its natural growth on protected rock walls, primarily facing south. Exposure that is too intense may compact the leaves and increase their glaucous tone, but strong summer sun should be avoided. An approximate target of 10–20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Opportunistic. It comes from a region of summer rains, and the species can remain active for a good part of the year. It is recommended to increase watering during the warm period, allowing the substrate to dry partially between waterings, and to reduce it during winter or when temperatures are low.

🌸 Flowering
It flowers mainly in spring–summer, in correspondence with its summer rainfall regime. The inflorescence can be simple or branched, especially in large specimens, and reaches approximately 50 cm. The hanging flowers measure around 2.5–4 cm and are narrower and less strongly swollen than those of other Gasterias. They have a pinkish base that transitions to creamy white, with greenish streaks in the upper zone. There are especially pale forms with almost yellowish or white flowers.

🌿 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 watering, reducing fertilization during periods of lower activity.

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.

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