€10,60

🌱 Morphology
Small, perennial, compact, and caespitose succulent with a shrubby appearance, reaching about 10 cm in height and spreading up to 50 cm. Its highly branched stems become woody with age and develop thick, tuberous roots. The leaves, fleshy and densely arranged along the stems, are green, oblong, and terminate in a characteristic circular crown of about 20 stiff white hairs, resembling a small diadem. This combination of woody stems, thickened roots, and tiny hair-crowned leaves gives it a bonsai-like appearance.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is endemic to South Africa, in the Eastern Cape, from the area of Uniondale to Willowmore and the Great Karoo. It grows mainly in rock crevices in dry environments. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family, subfamily Ruschioideae. Its conservation status is Least Concern (LC).

❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 9b–10b. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 ºC, especially when the substrate is dry. Some specialized sources indicate even lower tolerance, but −4 ºC is a safer reference for establishing the USDA zone.

☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense light to maintain compact growth, leaf density, and the correct formation of woody structures. DLI PAR >20 mol/m²/day is recommended during active growth. It tolerates direct sun, although during very hot summers, it may benefit from protection during peak hours.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. The main activity occurs during the cool seasons. During active growth, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. During the summer, water supply should be significantly reduced, keeping the substrate dry for extended periods.

🌸 Flowering
Solitary, daisy-like flowers of intense carmine pink, about 4–5 cm in diameter. They open in the morning and close later during the day. Kew places the flowering from autumn to spring, so in Madrid it may occur approximately between September and March, with particular intensity towards the end of 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 while avoiding excessive nitrogen inputs.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

7 × 7 cm gourmet black pot.

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the shipped specimen 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 of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.

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