€10,60

🌱 Morphology
Small perennial, subshrubby, and cespitose succulent, with short, branched stems with an articulated appearance. It exhibits marked heterophylly: during active growth, it develops a pair of long, narrow, fleshy, bright green leaves that can reach about 10 cm; as it begins dormancy, a much shorter and more compact pair appears, which protects the apex and remains as a small globose structure. The epidermis is covered by tiny water-storage cells that produce a characteristic pearly appearance.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to South Africa, in Namaqualand and the Richtersveld, Northern Cape province. It lives on quartz fields and small stony hills, in arid environments subject to winter rains. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family, subfamily Ruschioideae. Its conservation status in South Africa is Vulnerable (VU), mainly due to its limited distribution and threats to its habitat, such as mining and grazing.

❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 10a–11b. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC. Some cultivation sources point to occasional tolerance down to −2 ºC, but it is not considered a frost-resistant species and must be kept dry during cold spells.

☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it requires plenty of light, but not necessarily intense direct sun. A target above 20 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR favors compact growth; in summer, it must be protected from excess radiation and, above all, heat, ensuring good ventilation.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It is a winter-growing species: it begins to activate at the end of summer and develops its characteristic long leaves during autumn and winter. During active growth, abundant watering is carried out, allowing the substrate to dry out completely. As summer approaches, the leaves retract and dormancy begins; at this point, watering is drastically reduced and it is kept practically dry.

🌸 Flowering
Solitary flowers up to about 4.5 cm in diameter, generally white and occasionally tinged with red. In the Southern Hemisphere, it flowers mainly in July–August, so in Madrid, this corresponds approximately to January–February.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and potassium is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Aizoaceae, applied during watering and avoiding excessive nitrogen input.

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.

• Hassle-free returns

• Free Shipping on orders over €79.99

• Secure and protected payment guaranteed.