Titanopsis calcarea | Sheep's tongue.
€10,60
🌱 Morphology
Small, stemless, clumping succulent that forms compact mats of rosettes. Each rosette features 3–4 pairs of opposite, fleshy leaves, spatulate to triangular-club-shaped, with a rounded or truncated apex. The surface is covered with striking white, gray, green, pink, or reddish calcareous tubercles that mimic the surrounding stones, providing extraordinary camouflage.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to South Africa, from the Free State and Northern Cape to North West, where it grows in arid environments and dry scrublands, especially on limestone outcrops and soils. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family, subfamily Ruschioideae.
❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 10a–11. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC, provided the substrate remains completely dry. Some specialized horticultural sources indicate significantly higher resistance, up to around −10 ºC in dry conditions, but there is no sufficiently solid USDA correspondence to publish that figure as a hardiness zone.
☀️ Lighting
Requires very intense light to maintain its compact shape and leaf coloration. Target during growth: DLI PAR >20 mol/m²/day. In summer, it may benefit from protection against the most intense midday sun.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It grows mainly during the cooler seasons, especially in autumn and spring. During the active period, it is recommended to water thoroughly and allow the substrate to dry completely before watering again. Drastically reduce water in summer; excess humidity during dormancy promotes root rot.
🌸 Flowering
Solitary flowers, yellow to yellow-orange, up to about 2 cm in diameter, which open towards the afternoon. In cultivation, it can flower mainly in autumn and winter.
🌿 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 xerophytic plant grown in Madrid in a technical square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.
7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.
* Since this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The plant's measurements are specified in the photo description, but these may also vary slightly because, after all, it is a living being! Each Desert CITY plant has unique characteristics.
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