€26,50

Gasteria vlokii Van Jaarsv. — Vlok's Gasteria

🌱 Morphology
 Small, very slow-growing Gasteria, usually acaulescent and solitary, though it occasionally produces basal offsets and forms clumps up to about 14 cm in diameter. The roots are succulent and can reach 8 mm in diameter. The firm, leathery leaves are initially arranged in two opposite rows and, with age, form a low, spreading rosette. They measure approximately 5–9 cm in length and 2–3 cm in width at the base, are lanceolate to triangular, and curve laterally, taking on a characteristic sickle shape. They feature an eccentric keel in the upper third and an epidermis that appears smooth, although it is finely covered in tiny tubercles. The color is dark green to bluish-green, with abundant white spots grouped in poorly defined transverse bands. Under intense light, the leaves may acquire reddish hues. During drought, the upper surface becomes more channeled. The margins are acute, crenulate, and tipped with small white tubercles.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is a highly localized endemic of South Africa, known from the Groot Swartberg, in the Western Cape province, especially in Waboomsberg, and also from Witteberg, north of Willowmore. It grows at approximately 1,000 to 1,500 m altitude, an exceptionally high elevation within the genus. It lives in cracks and small pockets of soil on walls and outcrops of Table Mountain Group quartzitic sandstone, in sandy, acidic, humus-rich, and very mineral-poor soils. It is part of the Mountain Fynbos vegetation, while elements of Succulent Karoo appear on the lower slopes. Rainfall is around 800 mm per year, distributed between winter and summer, although with a trend towards summer dryness. Summers are warm but nights are cool, and winters can see occasional snowfall.

Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, section Longiflorae, series Multifariae. Its position in the Multifariae series is supported by Van Jaarsveld’s revision and by taxonomic studies based on floral morphology and genome size.

❄️ Temperature — USDA 9b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −3 °C in cultivation. The species comes from a mountainous environment where cold episodes and even snow can occur, but the occasional presence of snow in the habitat should not be confused with unlimited cold tolerance, especially if the leaves remain wet.

☀️ Lighting
It prefers shade–partial shade, especially during the central hours of summer, although exposed populations also exist in its habitat. With high light, the leaves can acquire reddish hues. A gradual exposure is recommended with an approximate target of 10–20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It is recommended to space out waterings during the hottest and driest periods, allowing the substrate to dry partially before watering again. The habitat receives both summer and winter rainfall, so dormancy does not imply absolute drought; watering should be adjusted to the temperature, ventilation, and drying rate of the substrate.

🌸 Flowering
It flowers mainly in July and August in Spain.  The inflorescence, gracefully curved and extended, measures approximately 30–48 cm and exceptionally features some lateral branching. It produces numerous tubular flowers of about 29–33 mm, reddish-pink in color, swollen at the base, and curved, with their mouths oriented toward the rosette; the terminal part turns whitish. They are rich in nectar and are primarily pollinated by sunbirds.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthias & Co. is recommended, with high content in potassium and bioavailable calcium. It is applied with watering, 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 by mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

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