Tulista marginata | White-keeled Tulista
€26,50
Tulista marginata (Lam.) G.D.Rowley
🌱 Morphology
Elegant and serene, Tulista marginata looks like a small plant sculpture modeled in shades of antique green. Its rigid, lanceolate leaves rise from the center, forming a clean and architectural rosette, while a thin, pale line runs along its margins as if each leaf had been drawn with a stroke of light. Unlike other Tulista, its leaves are generally smooth, lacking the abundant relief of tubercles that characterizes T. pumila or T. minor. It is precisely that sobriety that gives it an extraordinarily refined beauty.
It forms acaulescent rosettes up to about 20 cm in height, occasionally forming small clusters. The leaves are erect to spreading, pale green to brownish-green, thick, rigid, and keeled on the underside. Although they typically lack tubercles, there is considerable variability between populations, and some specimens may present small bumps. The species is long-lived and slow-growing, and unlike other Tulista, it usually produces few offsets.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is endemic to the Western Cape, South Africa, with a distribution extending from the vicinity of Ashton and Bredasdorp, eastward to Riversdale. It grows in open terrain, both on flat ground and slopes, generally among grasses and scattered shrubs, on sandstone or shale substrates, in renosterveld communities. It belongs to the Asphodelaceae family, subfamily Asphodeloideae.
The entire area of Tulista is located in the southwestern region of South Africa, characterized by predominantly winter rains. In T. marginata, the greatest water availability is concentrated from autumn to spring, while summer is the warmest and driest season. Toward the eastern end of its distribution, rainfall is somewhat more spread out, so the summer dormancy may be less profound than in the westernmost populations.
❄️ Temperature — USDA 10a
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1.1 ºC. When grown in a pot, it is advisable to keep it protected from prolonged frosts and, especially, to avoid temperatures near this limit when the substrate is damp.
☀️ Lighting
Partial shade. It requires high brightness, although in cultivation it appreciates some protection from the most intense sun during the central hours of the day in hot periods. A DLI PAR of 12–20 mol/m²/day is recommended during active growth. Good lighting keeps the rosette compact and accentuates the delicate light edge of the leaves.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It is a species that grows primarily in winter, adapted to the Cape’s rainfall regime. Its greatest activity occurs during autumn, winter, and spring, when temperatures are more moderate and there is greater water availability. During this period, it is recommended to water thoroughly and let the substrate dry before doing so again.
With the arrival of summer, rising temperatures and decreased rainfall reduce its vegetative activity. Watering should be spaced out considerably, keeping the substrate dry for longer periods.
🌸 Flowering
It blooms mainly in late spring and during the summer. The inflorescence rises clearly above the rosette and can be branched, with numerous small pinkish-white flowers.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthias & Co. is recommended, with a high content of potassium and bioavailable calcium. It is applied with watering, reducing or suspending fertilization during summer dormancy.
9x9 cm gourmet black pot
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
📏 Gourmet xerophyte in a 9x9 cm pot.
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The plant dimensions are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly, because it is a living thing! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.
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