Crassothonna capensis (L.H.Bailey) B.Nord. 

🌱 Morphology

  Ruby necklace... A perennial succulent with trailing and cascading growth, featuring thin, highly branched stems that become slightly woody at the base. It can spread for more than a meter and form a dense clump, or hang elegantly from an elevated pot. Its leaves are small, fleshy, and cylindrical, shaped like tiny gherkins, generally 1–2.5 cm long. They are grey-green or blue-green, with tips that can take on reddish, purple, or coppery hues when exposed to abundant light or periods of water stress. The stems can grow roots at the nodes when they come into contact with the growing medium.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family

A species endemic to South Africa, especially the Eastern Cape province. It grows in dry scrubland, stony slopes, and rocky terrain in the coastal and Little Karoo regions. It is adapted to periods of drought and fast-draining soils.

Family: Asteraceae. Subfamily: Asteroideae. Tribe: Senecioneae. Subtribe: Othonninae.

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9b

It can tolerate minimum temperatures of −3.9 °C in dry conditions and with brief exposure. It is recommended to protect it from frost, especially if grown in a pot. Root moisture during cold periods can cause rot even at temperatures above this limit.

☀️ Lighting

It needs abundant light to maintain compact growth and promote reddish and purple tones in the leaves. Direct sun for several hours a day is recommended, although it also adapts to bright partial shade. In summer, in very hot climates, it is best to avoid the most intense midday sun. As a guideline, a PAR DLI of 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ allows it to maintain good growth and attractive coloration, with gradual adaptation to exposure.

💧 Growth cycle and watering

Winter dormancy. In cultivation, it is recommended to maintain a drier rest period during the cold months. During spring and summer, water thoroughly and let the growing medium dry out completely before watering again. In autumn, gradually reduce watering, and during winter, water moderately, avoiding allowing the growing medium to remain moist at low temperatures. Once established, it tolerates drought well.

🌸 Flowering

It produces small daisy-like inflorescences of bright yellow, which stand out above the foliage on thin peduncles. The flower heads feature yellow ligulate flowers around a central disc. They open in sunlight and may close when light levels decrease. Flowering can continue for much of the year in favorable conditions.

🌿 Nutrition

It is recommended to use Desert CHOICE® Succulents, applied in moderate doses during the active growth period. It is best to avoid excess nitrogen to keep the stems compact and the leaves well-formed.

Gourmet black pot, 12x12 cm

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with a growing medium activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.