Gasteria pillansii var. ernesti-ruschii | Richtersveld carpet Gasteria
€15,90
🌱 Morphology
A dwarf and extraordinarily prolific form of Gasteria pillansii, with an acaulescent growth habit, which develops 8–12 leaves arranged in two rows and forms dense colonies via underground stolons. The rosettes reach approximately 5–20 cm in height and 6–40 cm in diameter, although individual leaves are small, about 2–7 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide. They are rigid, fleshy, leathery, and tongue-shaped, with both sides slightly convex. The color is emerald green, marked by whitish-green spots that usually organize into transverse bands. The margins are cartilaginous and finely denticulate. During the dry season, the leaves may take on reddish tones and flatten, reducing the exposed surface area and photosynthetic activity.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is distributed from the vicinity of Port Nolloth, in Northern Cape (South Africa), northwards to southern Namibia, including the Richtersveld. It grows in one of the most arid regions where the genus appears, with barely 25–200 mm of annual precipitation, mainly in winter. It lives in crevices and ledges of sandstone, granite, and shale outcrops and quartz veins, frequently protected under small shrubs or in the shade of the rocks themselves; in the Oograbies mountains, it especially occupies steep, south and east-facing rocky walls. It belongs to the family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, section Gasteria, series Namaquana.
❄️ Temperature — USDA 9b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of down to approximately −4 ºC in dry, sheltered conditions. In its habitat, light winter frost may occur, but the decisive factor is preventing the roots from remaining wet during cold spells.
☀️ Lighting
Prefers bright shade to partial shade, especially in summer. In nature, plants are protected by shrubs, small woody plants, or rocky overhangs. It can tolerate a few hours of mild sun, and with high but not scorching light, the leaves acquire reddish hues and maintain a more compact habit. Approximately 10–20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended.
💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Summer dormancy. It is one of the Gasterias most clearly adapted to the winter rainfall regime: it grows during the wet season and aestivates during the dry summer, when the leaves may flatten and take on reddish tones. It is recommended to concentrate watering in autumn-winter, allowing the substrate to partially dry between waterings, and to reduce it significantly during the summer, especially at high temperatures.
🌸 Flowering
It develops arched racemes of approximately 60–120 cm, generally unbranched or with the occasional side branch. It produces between 12 and 40 flowers, pendant and oriented in the same direction, up to 35 mm long and 6–8 mm in diameter. The perianth is dull pink, almost white towards the apex, traversed by dark green lines that continue to the curved tips. The flowers are rich in nectar and attract nectarivorous birds. The flowering of this variety is particularly interesting because, unlike many Gasterias, it occurs during the austral autumn, approximately from March to April, after the winter growth period.
🌿 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 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 substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
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