€26,50

🌱 Morphology
A medium perennial succulent of the Aizoaceae family, with a semi-trailing and very compact habit, which in the wild barely reaches about 4 cm in height, forming small cushions of densely branched woody stems. The leaves are fleshy, bluish-green, papillose, and terminate in a characteristic crown of 5–10 radiating white hairs, with a brown central point: a true botanical tiara. The internodes are practically hidden by the leaves. The root is tuberous and thickened, and over the years it can develop a branched caudex that remains partially exposed in cultivation. It is distinguished from Trichodiadema hirsutum by having significantly fewer apical hairs.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is endemic to the Western Cape, South Africa, especially the Little Karoo region, around Robertson, Swellendam, and Montagu. It grows in stony areas, rock crevices, and quartz patches, where it blends in with the stones. It belongs to the Aizoaceae family. SANBI classifies it as Least Concern (LC) and considers its population stable.

❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 9b–10b. It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −3 ºC in dry conditions. This hardiness reference is horticultural, so it must be interpreted with the substrate completely dry and good ventilation.

☀️ Lighting
It needs high lighting to maintain its compact habit and encourage the formation of the small leaf-hair crowns. A target of DLI PAR greater than 20 mol/m²/day during growth is recommended. It tolerates direct sun, although during episodes of extreme heat, it may benefit from light protection during the middle hours of the day.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. Its growth is concentrated mainly during the cooler months, while it reduces its activity in summer. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. In summer, waterings should be spaced out significantly, avoiding keeping the substrate moist when temperatures are high.

🌸 Flowering
Solitary flowers, resembling small daisies, dark pink to fuchsia in color, which stand out against the foliage and reach approximately 3–3.5 cm in diameter. In its natural range, it flowers mainly from May to August, so in Madrid, this corresponds approximately to November–February.

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

This is an inimitable Xerophytic plant grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

10 × 10 cm black gourmet pot.

• As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The photo description specifies the plant's measurements, but this can also vary slightly, because it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.

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