Machairophyllum brevifolium | Short dagger
€10,60
🌱 Morphology
Medium-sized perennial succulent, caespitose and with compact growth, barely reaching 2 cm in height. It forms low clusters of opposite, tightly packed, fleshy, rigid, triangular-sectioned leaves that end in a sharp point. The leaves are bluish-green to whitish and may acquire reddish hues under cold or light stress. With age, it can form small, dense mats.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to South Africa, mainly in the Little Karoo, in the Western Cape, where it is part of the xerophytic flora of fynbos and renosterveld environments. It grows in stony areas and well-drained soils. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family and is listed as Vulnerable (VU).
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 10b–11b. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC in dry conditions and for short periods. The available horticultural references are conservative and do not allow for attributing greater resistance with sufficient certainty.
☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting to maintain its compact growth and promote flowering, with a target of >20 mol/m²/day of PAR DLI during active growth.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. Its growth is concentrated in the cooler months. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. In summer, with high temperatures, watering is significantly reduced.
🌸 Flowering
It produces yellow flowers, relatively large compared to the tiny size of the plant. In the genus Machairophyllum, flowering is concentrated between late winter and early summer; for this species, flowers are documented in spring. In Madrid, it can be expected mainly between March and May.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and potassium, such as Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae, is recommended, applied during watering and avoiding excessive nitrogen inputs.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.
7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The measurements of the plant are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly, because it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.
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