Machairophyllum albidum | Short dagger
€15,90
🌱 Morphology
Small perennial, caespitose, mat-forming succulent reaching about 10 cm in height. The leaves are densely clustered, fleshy, rigid, and triangular in cross-section, with a color ranging from blue-green to whitish. With age, it forms compact clumps. The flowers are notable for their large size relative to the plant, reaching up to 6 cm in diameter.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is native to the Western Cape, South Africa, especially the Langeberg region, from Barrydale to Robinson Pass and the Swartberg. It grows on rocky slopes and is part of fynbos and renosterveld communities. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family and is classified as Least Concern (LC).
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 9b–11. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 ºC in dry conditions and for short periods. At Desert CITY, tolerance has been observed down to approximately −2 ºC, so it is advisable to avoid combining intense cold with moist substrate.
☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting to keep the leaves compact and encourage flowering, with a target of >20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR during active growth.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Opportunistic. Its behavior is conditioned more by water availability than by a strictly defined dormant season. During growth, abundant watering is recommended, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. Water intake should be reduced during very high temperatures.
🌸 Flowering
Flowers are yellow with a reddish reverse, up to 6 cm in diameter. In South Africa, it blooms mainly in November and December, so in Madrid, this corresponds roughly to May and June. The flowers may open in the late afternoon and remain open through the night.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with high content of assimilable calcium and potassium is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae, applied during watering and avoiding excessive nitrogen inputs.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.
7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.
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