the new growing the mesembs

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The new

GROWING the MESEMBSb y e d s t o r m s



To my dear wife,

RUTH

Published 1986 byEd Storms, Inc.P.O. Box 775

Azle, TX 76020

© Edward D. Storms

Cover photo: Fenestraria aurantiaca



from L. fransisci site, Halenburgs, S.W. Africa

Knersvlakte, near Vanrhynsdorp, Cape Province



PREFACE

Any attempt at giving instructionson how to grow the Mesembryanthe-mums, popularly known as "Me-sembs", is faced with the problem ofthe countless variables encounteredin the different growing situations.One set of rules cannot apply to all.This problem is treated only too fre-quently with vague generalities whichleave us with the same questions wehad in the beginning, or by very pe-dantic instructions given with suchauthority that we are tempted to ac-cept them as universal truths, disre-garding our own unique growingenvironments. Obviously, we canonly describe the methods we havefound to be successful in growing theMesembs under our own conditions.You must take into consideration theenvironmental differences between agreenhouse in Texas and your owngrowing situation.

In this revised edition of GROW-ING THE MESEMBS, habitat infor-mation is again included because wemust first become acquainted withthe conditions under which theseplants grow in nature before we canintelligently begin to create a sensi-

ble environment for their cultivation.Not that it is necessary, or possible,to duplicate their habitat environ-ment, but we must provide them withconditions within their range oftolerance.

For the first time in any publica-tion, GROWING THE MESEMBS,revised, illustrates 144 varieties (in-cluding regional and color forms) ofLITHOPS with multiple specimens sothat the variations within a varietymay be shown. The plants selectedfor the photographs were carefullychosen to be representative of thatparticular taxon and even though ex-treme variations may be seen insome cases, these variations arecommonly found in the variety andare not aberrants seldom encoun-tered.

No attempt has been made tocover all the genera of the Mesem-bryanthemaceae, a task far beyondthe scope of this small work. Wehave dealt only with those plantsmost often encountered in collectionsand those whose growing habits arefamiliar to us.



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Habitat Information page 1

Soil page 5

Potting page 6

Watering page 8

Light, Temperature, and Humidity page 10

Diseases and Pests page 12

Seed Germination page 13

Cuttings page 15

The Plants page 16

Suggested Reading page 57



Cheiridopsis candidissima near Springbok

HABITAT

The greatest concentration of theMesembs is found in the southern

part of South Africa,-up the westcoast through Namaqualand, the Ri-chtersveld, Bushmanland, into theNamib, Namaland, and the centralpart of South West Africa/Namibia.Many species are quite restricted intheir dispersal while others are wide-spread, growing under varying condi-tions. For example, Cheiridopsis

peculiaris, is found only in a smallarea on the slopes of a low, sand-stone hill within sight of Steinkopf,while Cheiridopsis candidissimagrows like a weed by the roadside in

large colonies all through Namaqua-land, up the Orange River into the

Richtersveld.Namaqualand is the area along

the coast between Vanrhynsdorp andSteinkopf. Here, the rain falls in win-ter, at which time it is quite coolthough seldom reaching freezingtemperatures except in the highermountainous locations. In summerthe area is hot and arid. The Knersv-

lakte, a special section of Namaqua-land just north of Vanrhynsdorp, is agold mine of succulents. Legend hasit that it received its name from therepeated sound of 'kners', 'kners',

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'kners' made by the men and wag-ons as they trekked through thequartz gravel. Almost as far as theeye can see are low hills coveredwith white quartz and succulentsgrowing so thickly that it is almost

impossible to walk without steppingon Argyroderma, Conophytum, Moni-

laria, Oophytum, and Dactylopsis

growing along with Cotyledon reticu- lata, C. luteosquamata, Crassula andvarious shrubby Mesembs. In someareas the soil contains a large per-centage of clay, and is somewhat sa-line, being quite salty to the taste.

However, there are always sufficientquantities of sand and quartz gravelto give it porosity. Lithops divergens is found in this area as is the rareMaughaniella luckhoffii.

Farther north toward Springbokand Steinkopf we find many speciesof Conophytum on low hills of shaleand granite, growing in crevices withlichen in a trace of soil on large slop-ing boulders. Conophytum, with the

exception of those species found inthe Knersvlakte, and the bi-lobedspecies, usually grow just under therim of a mountain. Here the plantssometimes experience freezing tem-peratures in winter but bake duringthe hot dry summer.

The area north of Steinkopf to theOrange River is known as the Ri-

chtersveld where rain, if any, comesin winter. Near Port Nolloth thecoastal plains of grey sand present adismal picture in winter with the coldbiting wind blowing constantly.

Fog bank near Springbok, Cape Province

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North and east of Port Nolloth wefind ranges covered with white quartzand Mesembs such as Conophytum,

Odontophorus, Cheiridopsis, and Mi- trophyllum. Lithops marmorata, L.

meyeri, and Ophthalmophyllum little-

woodii are also found in this area.Going east from Alexander Bayalong the Orange River we find Fe- nestraria buried to the tips of itsleaves in sand, depending on coastalfogs and drizzles for its moisture.

Farther inland along the OrangeRiver on the way to the "Hellskloof,"we encounter Dracophilus, Juttadin-

teria, Cheiridopsis, and Psammo- phora. The keynote of theRichtersveld is drought, with many ofthe plants along the coast dependingon heavy fogs for their existence.These fogs form along the river andfeed out into small valleys far inlandto provide life-giving moisture for theplants. During one mid-winter visit,

we noticed the plants were in excel-lent condition due to recent rains inthe area. We were told by a farmerthat the rains they had receivedabout six weeks prior to our visitwere the heaviest they had seen in16 years. The amount? Almost twoinches!

On another occasion during an ex-

tremely dry period, the Richtersveldwas absolutely parched with theplants shriveled and dried to thepoint of being almost impossible tofind. However, early one morning be-fore the fog burned off it was inter-esting to find that the soil on oneside of a small outcropping wasmoist to a depth of about an inch

from the foggy precipitation thatslowly collected as dew on the rocksand eventually dribbled down to thesoil. Here there were a few Conophy-

tum surviving, but a few feet around

the point in the lee of the outcrop-ping the soil was dry and devoid ofplants. From this you can readily seehow little moisture these plants needto survive, and how precariously lo-calized are some of their minute hab-

itats.To the east of Namaqualand and

the Richtersveld lies the Bushman-land with ranges of hills in its west-ern and northern areas where wefind various species of Lithops, Titan- opsis, Aloinopsis, and Dinteranthus along with the ever-present Cheiri- dopsis. The Bushmanland is a transi-

tional rainfall area with the westernportion getting rain in all seasons,while summer rains become moreprevalent toward the east.

Crossing the Orange River intoSouth West Africa/Namibia we findthe Namib Desert running for over athousand miles along the coast.Here, as in Namaqualand, the succu-

lents depend mostly on winter fogsproduced by the cold Benguela cur-rent for their moisture. Around Luder-itz are found colonies of L. opticaand on up the coast there is Jensen- obotrya at Spencers Bay. From Or-anjemund to Luderitz lies the'Sperrgebiet' (the Forbidden Area orDiamond Area #1) where we find

more colonies of L optica as well asspecies of Juttadinteria and the rareNamibia. To the east of the Namiband just north of the Bushmanland,is Namaland where numerous vari-eties of Lithops are found along withDinteranthus, Ophthalmophyllum,Lapidaria, and Conophytum. This isone of the most arid regions in SouthWest Africa, and the rains, when andif, come in the winter.

North of Namaland and to the eastof the Namib lies the central regionof South West Africa/Namibia with

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the Khomas Hochland and the AuasMountains near Windhoek where wefind Lithops pseudotruncatella flour-ishing with quite adequate rains inthe form of summer thundershowers.To the south, and closer to the Na-

mib, is the type locality of L. gesinae v. annae near Helmeringhausen aswell as various varieties of L.

schwantesii. The beautiful Lithops

bella can be found (of all places) justdown the dry river bed from the citygarbage dump at Aus!

In the southern Cape region there

is a rather isolated area east of CapeTown known as the Little Karoo withan extremely arid climate. Here, theplants survive on infrequent winterrains. The entire genus of Gibbaeum

is found here along with the closely

related Imitaria and Antegibbaeum.To the northwest of the Little Karoolies the Ceres Karoo with a similarscarcity of rain. The Ceres is thehome of Didymaotis and Lithops comptonii and its variety. Here, the

winter can be quite cold with temper-atures often falling below freezing.

From these brief descriptions ofthe various areas where the Me-sembs are found, we may draw afairly accurate picture of theirdrought-stricken existence. The sunis brilliant, even in winter, and be-comes a scorching furnace in sum-

mer. In many areas a prolongeddrought may last for well over a year,so we should not be too reluctant tolet our plants in cultivation go for afew weeks or months without heavywatering.

Lithops optica site, Mile 70 fromOranjemund, S.W.A.

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SOILThe immediate concern of a begin-

ning collector is usually the soil mix.For the Mesembs this problem iseasily solved with a sandy, porous

mix that drains well. They may begrown successfully in one of thecommercial potting mixes for houseplants by adding coarse sand.

Having experimented with varioussoil mixes over a period of years, wefinally settled on an organic mixmade especially for the nursery tradeplus additional sand. One to two

parts of builders sand is added tothree parts of the commercial mixplus a little Dolomite to keep the pHcloser to neutral since our water sup-ply is on the acid side. Nearly any ofthe packaged houseplant mixesreadily available in garden shops issuitable with the addition of sharpsand. If available, a reddish, sandy

ferruginous soil may be substitutedfor a portion of the commercial mixto provide trace elements.

Although the soils in habitat areusually very high in mineral concen-trations, we must remember that theplants avail themselves of this richfeast only when there is sufficientmoisture present to permit assimila-

tion by the root systems. When weconsider the arid conditions underwhich most of the Mesembs grow inhabitat, we must realize that in culti-vation, with its necessarily more fre-quent watering, a rich soil mix is notrequired. However, the Mesembs donot live on sand alone, and since thissoilless mix contains no nutrients of

its own to speak of, during the grow-ing period we feed with a low-nitro-gen, water-soluble fertilizer (10-30-20) about one-twentieth the recom-mended strength. We find it more

convenient to give them light feed-ings when watering than to add nu-trients to the basic soil mix. Use afertilizer low in nitrogen (the first

number) because the soil in habitatis always lacking in this element.Keep in mind that fertilizers shouldbe used cautiously in order to pre-serve the natural characterist ics ofthe plants. With the Mesembs, 'big-ger' is certainly not 'better'. Thegrossly overfed and overwateredplants seen in some collections bear

little resemblance to their habitat rel-atives.

The availability of pH testing stripshas given rise to a new aspect of thepreparation of soil mixtures. Roughlydefined, the pH value of a solution isthe logarithum of the reciprocal ofthe hydrogen ion concentration givenon a scale with values of 1 to 14 with

7 representing the neutral point. Inlayman's terms, this means a pHreading above 7 shows increasing al-kalinity, while a reading below 7 indi-cates increasing acidity. We usuallyaim for a slightly acid soil with a pHof 5.8 to 6.8, as most plants seem toadapt to this range. Plants such asLithops julii and L. ruschiorum ap-

pear to be growing very well in a mixwith a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, while in habi-tat they are found in highly alkalineareas with a soil pH of 8.2 to 9.5.These plants have not only retainedtheir habitat characteristics but haveflowered profusely, attesting to theirvast adaptive capabilities. Therefore,it appears we need not be overlyconcerned with pH since the averagesandy mix seems to fall well withinthe tolerance range of the Mesembs.Further experimentation may showthat some species prefer a more acid

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or alkaline mix, but until this prefer-ence has been established, we arebetter off with our slightly acid mix,thus avoiding either extreme.

Mesembs are being grown suc-cessfully in a multitude of soils such

as: 1 part peat to 3 parts fine gravel,half peat and half sand, pure sandwith a bit of clayey loam, half peatand half vermiculite, 1 part peat to 2parts fine sand, etc. Of course, fertil-izer must be used with the soillessmixes containing no nutrients of theirown. These mixes illustrate the vari-eties of soils the Mesembs will toler-

ate and should help dispel much ofthe beginner's apprehension overconcocting an appropriate pottingmix. The essential characteristic ofany good soil mix is ample porositywhich allows quick drainage. For thebeginner, the easiest solution isthree parts of a commercial pottingmix and one or two parts of coarse

sand. Aquarium and bird gravel arereadily available in pet shops and su-permarkets for those without accessto natural sand. If you are fortunateenough to have a local source ofriver sand, screen it through a quar-ter-inch screen to remove any largepebbles present, then through an or-dinary window screen to sift out the

very fine particles, using that portionremaining on the screen. Anothersource for sand is a builders supplycompany that sells the sharp mortarsand used by bricklayers. Do not useocean beach sand as it contains toomuch salt.

After you have become an expertMesemb grower, you will more than

likely want to experiment with varia-tions on the basic mix and eventuallysettle on one that works best for youunder your growing conditions. Manycollectors add a dash of bonemeal or

spoonful of charcoal to their mix, butthese gourmet touches may be sup-plied later when you have a betterunderstanding of the needs of yourplants. To those who are old handsat growing the Mesembs, there is

only one bit of advice: keep right ondoing whatever is working for you!

Even though many believe it to beunnecessary and report excellent re-sults without it, soil sterilization is aworthwhile precaution. Soil treatedwith steam so that the temperature isheld at 180°F.(83°C.) for at least 30minutes is freed of all plant patho-

genic bacteria, fungi, nematodes,water molds, and most plant viruses.Sterilization of small batches of soilmay be handled easily in the kitchenoven. Place a pan of wet soil mix inthe oven at about 200°F., insert ameat thermometer into the batch ofsoil, and when the temperaturereaches 180°F., leave for at least 30

minutes. By timing the first operation,subsequent batches of equal propor-tions may be treated without bother-ing with the thermometer; just set thetimer. Old electric fry pans or roas-ters make excellent soil sterilizers,with some of the roasters having acapacity of 6 gallons of mix. Thesecan often be found at very reasona-

ble prices in used appliance shops,thrift shops, or Salvation ArmyStores. Make certain the mix is verywet, as wet heat is more effectivethan dry heat. The sterilized soil maybe stored in covered containers untilneeded.

POTTING

There are devout advocates ofboth clay and plastic pots. We preferplastic for several reasons: plastic iseasier to clean and sterilize, plastic

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pots are readily available in mostsizes, plastic is lighter in weight, andplastic is about the only materialavailable in a square shape whichwe definitely prefer for its space-sav-ing characteris tic. True, unglazed

clay pots with their porosity will com-pensate for some misjudgment inwatering, but no material can offsetgross overwatering. During our Texassummers with greenhouse tempera-tures soaring to 120°F. (50°C.) withexhaust fans going full blast, we findthat clay pots dry out far too quickly.Those in cooler or more humid cli-

mates may find clay pots more suit-able. Many growers have reportedsuperior results with styrofoam pots,and this is undoubtedly a useful ma-terial. One nursery in South Africauses styrofoam shoe boxes exten-sively as growing flats, anothergrows the plants beautifully in asbes-tos-cement trays. The material from

which your pots are made is of littlesignificance as long as it has ampledrainage and you learn how often towater with that particular type of pot.In order to assure adequate drain-age, place a piece of broken pot or asmall piece of aluminum screen overthe hole in the bottom, add about ahalf-inch layer of small gravel or Per-

lite, and then the soil.Aesthetic, as well as growing re-

quirements, should be consideredwhen choosing the pot for a certainplant. A pot that is too large or toosmall for the plant is not only visuallydisturbing but usually presents culti-vation problems. The root system ofthe plant must be accommodated,

those with long taproots such asLithops requiring a deeper pot thanthe more shallow rooted Conophy-

tum . Decorative pots can certainlyenhance the over-all appearance of

L. julii [Reticulate fm.]

a plant collection if tastefully se-lected. Avoid the cheap, garish pots,

often in the shape of some animal,that fight with the plants for attention.Nothing is more ridiculous than aplant growing out of the back of aceramic dog or duck! There are ex-cellent potters, craftsmen, throughoutthe country creating beautiful pots foryour plants. Stoneware, with its sub-tle, earthy glazes, is especially suit-

able for the Mesembs. Bonsai potsalso make excellent homes for yourplants and come in a multitude ofsizes.

The Mesembs are not terrariumplants, as the close atmosphere of aterrarium is definitely not to their lik-ing. In habitat there is always airmovement, even in the scorching

summer, and often in winter the windhowls with gale force. Also, the par-tially enclosed planting in a terrariummust deal with a higher humiditythan if planted in an open pot.

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Few of the Mesembs have a veryelaborate root system, so pottingthem up is relatively simple. Use soilonly slightly damp so it will settlearound the roots when the pot istapped on the bench or table. Some

growers recommend using dry soilwhen potting new arrivals, but it is al-most impossible to moisten dry soiluniformly without sa tu ra ti ng it. Byusing a slightly damp mix at thestart, only a light watering is neededto settle the soil around the rootsafter potting, thus avoiding overwatering. The Mesembs need only a

slight amount of moisture present inthe soil mix to promote rooting.

Plants with long taproots such asLithops, are easily potted by makinga funnel-shaped cavity in the soilwith a pencil or a sharpened piece ofdowl. The hole should be deepenough to accommodate the taproot.Hold the plant at the desired level

and gently push soil up against theroot with the pencil. Other plantsmay require a different technique,depending on their root system. Afterpotting, water lightly and place in asemi-shaded spot for a few days.Newly transplanted plants should bebrought into full sunlight graduallyover a period of several days. During

this period of reestablishment, theplants should not be over-wateredbut kept fairly dry.

Many collectors prefer to grouptheir plants in community pots ordish gardens. This is practical only ifcommon sense is used in selectingplants with similar needs to beplanted together. Planting Monilaria,

which only needs water for a shortperiod in the fall, with Faucaria whichneeds frequent watering through thesummer when Monilaria is com-pletely dormant, would obviously not

succeed. Usually different species ofthe same genus will thrive in com-munal bliss, but even then you mayhit a snag. Some species of Lithops may have absorbed their old leavesand the new ones are ready for a bit

of water, while other species or vari-eties may still be drawing moisturefrom the old leaves which are fullyturgid. Perhaps some of the otherMesembs in a community plantingmay show new leaves and are readyfor growth while others are stillcoasting along in dormancy. The dif-ficulty may be resolved, somewhat,

by carefully spot-watering thoseplants that need it, leaving the othersas dry as possible. Another solutionis potting your plants in small pots,arranging them in your larger planter,then filling with pebbles and stonesuntil the smaller pots are hidden.This gives the appearance of agroup planting while allowing each

plant to be given individual attention.Therefore, when selecting plants tobe grown together in one container,try to choose those whose growinghabits are as similar as possible. Thegrowing and resting periods of thevarious plants will be given later aseach genus is discussed.

WATERINGWhen in doubt, don't! This state-

ment is not as flippant as it maysound because even if a Mesemb isdry and in need of water, a few moredays or weeks without added mois-ture will seldom be fata l. On theother hand, most cannot survive pro-

longed periods in soggy soil and maysuddenly rot if over watered. Theytake advantage of every drop ofmoisture, storing it away in their suc-culent leaves for future use. If water

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is available for a sufficient length oftime, they will literally gorge them-selves to the bursting point and theleaves will crack open. This happensoccasionally when the weather re-mains cool and cloudy for a number

of days after watering. The mainpoint is that these plants will survivefor long periods with little or no waterand little harm is done if they get abit dry and start to shrivel.

As an experiment one summer weselected 20 different species of Me-sembs growing in 3 in. pots. Thesewere placed in a flat and were not

watered, not even a sprinkle, fromMarch to November. Even thoughthey had to face one of our hottersummers with no moisture, all sur-vived. Admittedly, they were a shri-veled, wrinkled, miserable bunch ofplants, but they did survive andperked up after watering in Novem-ber. This harsh treatment is certainly

not recommended for your collectionand is mentioned here merely to il-lustrate how little moisture is reallynecessary for these plants.The extremely diverse conditions

under which various collectors growtheir plants preclude any attempt toformulate a regimen for water ing.Plants grown under lights in a heated

apartment will certainly require morefrequent watering than those in a hu-mid greenhouse. With experience,you will be able to take your cuefrom the appearance or feel of yourplants. If the plants are turgid andfirm to your touch and the surface issmooth, showing little or no wrin-kling, they do not need water. On the

other hand, if they show pronouncedwrinkling and feel a bit soft, perhapsit is time for another watering. As anaid to the beginner, a more detailedguide to watering is included under

the heading of the different generawith special mention being made ofthe problem plants.

Any discussion of watering the Me-sembs usually gets around to thecontroversy of bottom watering ver-

sus overhead watering. That is,whether they should be watered byplacing the pot in a pan of water untilthe soil is saturated through capillaryattraction, or by watering from abovein the usual manner. When a porous,quick-draining soil mix is used, onemethod seems to be as satisfactoryas the other. Early accounts dealing

with the cultivation of the Mesembstend to blame overhead watering forthe sudden demise of a plantthrough rot, claiming dampness atthe base of the leaves to be thecause. In a sense this is true in thatthe fungi and bacteria proven to bethe cause of soft rot in Mesembsthrive in a moist and humid environ-

ment. However, it would be almost

L. hallii near Upington

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impossible to water from the bottomwithout dampening the surfaceenough to promote spread of thepathogens and the subsequent rot-ting of the infected plants. Usingsterilized soil in the beginning and

occasionally watering with Chinosolwill keep rot under control.

Bottom watering does have certainadvantages. For those plants with adeep root system, watering from thebottom assures adequate moisture inthe lower root area which they maynot receive with a shallow wateringfrom the top. Seedlings seem to ben-

efit from bottom watering, as it tendsto draw their roots downward, help-ing them develop a stronger rootsystem. One possible disadvantageof this method of watering is the ac-cumulation of soluble salts in thegrowing medium since there is noleaching. However, this doesn't ap-pear to be a serious problem with

the Mesembs, as they grow naturallyin soils with high concentrations ofmineral salts.

Watering from the top has the ad-vantage of convenience, particularlywhen growing large quantities ofplants, and we find it satisfactory forour operation. Light watering fromthe top during the prolonged dormant

period of some species seems to bebeneficial as it prevents complete de-siccation of the root system withoutproviding enough water to stimulatethe plants into premature growthcycles.

Although watering is a problemwith the Mesembs, as their needsdiffer from those of most other

plants, it need not be too trouble-some, provided we keep in mind theconditions under which they grownaturally. Their evolution has been inone direction — the development of

a highly efficient water-storage sys-tem which enables them to surviveprolonged periods of drought.

LIGHT,

TEMPERATURE, A N D HUMIDITY

The Mesembs, as a whole, aretrue sun worshippers and need allthe light they can get, especially inwinter. In habitat the light is dazzlingin summer, but even in winter thesun can be quite brilliant. However,

we must keep in mind that many ofthese plants grow with only their topsexposed, often between rocks andpebbles which afford them someslight relief from the sun. This is es-pecially true of the very succulent,mimicry plants such as Lithops, Fe- nestraria, Ophthalmophyllum, etc. Wemust also consider the effect of heat

on the roots of plants confined insmall pots in cultivation. Here inTexas, we find most species do wellwith a bit of shade during our sunny,hot summers when the light intensityis 10,000 foot candles. We use 20%shading starting in late spring andadd another 20% for a couple ofmonths in mid-summer. This amount

of light seems ample as we have noproblem flowering even the more dif-ficult species.

Mesemb enthusiasts without ac-cess to a greenhouse may not be ashandicapped as they might think, forbeautiful collections of Lithops andother Mesembs can be found per-fectly happy on a windowsill. The hu-

midity usually found in greenhouseswhere extremely low outside temper-atures prevent airing out in winter,can be detrimental to growing theMesembs. Even though they might

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Lithops dinteri v. brevis site withPachypodium namaguanum, Richtersveld

tolerate it for a few years, it certainly

is not to their liking, and those plantssitting comfortably in their sunny win-dow are much better off. In their nat-ural habitat there is always some airmovement, a breeze, or often a gale,but never a humid, stagnant atmos-phere. Therefore, if your greenhousetends to have a high humidity, usefans for air circulation, and open a

few vents on sunny days when tem-peratures permit, in order to dry itout as much as possible. For thosewith a mixed collection of otherplants that need frequent wateringand its resulting humidity, a solutionmight be the partitioning off of a sec-tion just for Mesembs. If this is im-practical, then at least take the

humidity into consideration whenwatering and give the Mesembseven less than you would ordinarily.

As for temperature, we have foundthat the Mesembs do very well with a

minimum of 40° F. Even those wintergrowers that are being watered donot seem to suffer at this tempera-ture. Of course, the temperaturequickly rises to 80 or 100° F. in thegreenhouses when the sunlight hits

them. Some species often experi-ence freezing temperatures in habi-tat, but there too, it is usually of shortduration with the sun warming thesoil quickly.

A vivid recollection comes to mindof standing on a low, Namaqualandhilltop in mid-winter, chilled to thebones while wearing three shirts and

a jacket. The ground was literallycovered with Argyroderma, Dacty- lopsis, and Conophytum, all fully tur-gid and obviously thriving underthese conditions. The next morningat Springbok, after scraping ice fromthe windshield of our van, we foundConophytum on the hilltop overlook-ing the town, quite happy with its

frigid location. This experience led usto lower our minimum temperaturesin the houses for adult plants to 40°F., but since many collections aremixed, having some plants needingmore warmth, a higher temperatureof about 50° F. is suitable in mostcases.

For those with neither greenhouse

nor sunny window, there is growingunder lights, a method rapidly gain-ing popularity. We have personallyexperimented only with seedlings toany great extent under lights andfound they did very well. However,many collectors have written to usclaiming similar results with adultplants. There are many fluorescent

tubes available that supposedly re-produce the full spectrum of sunlight,and there is no reason why Me-sembs could not thrive under thesesurrogate suns. Most light gardeners

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seem to achieve best results bygrowing the plants fairly close to thelight source, about 4 to 6 inches fromthe tubes. Others report satisfactoryresults with the plants as far as 14inches from the tubes. A day length

of 12 to 14 hours is sufficient. Asmentioned previously, growing underlights with room conditions will re-quire more frequent watering. Also, asmall fan to provide some air circula-tion and dissipate the heat from thelights is most beneficial.

DISEASES

and PESTSLuckily, the Mesembs are not dis-

ease-prone, except for soft rot withthe highly succulent stemless Me-sembs, and about the only insectpests to guard against are the ever-lasting mealybug and red spider plusan occasional cricket, grasshopper,

or caterpillar in some areas. Miceand squirrels can also wreck a fewplants if they happen to get in thegreenhouse. Rather than recom-mending specific insecticides, someof which may soon be prohibited dueto the increasing concern over theirimpact on our ecology, you are re-ferred to your local garden center or

nursery for those currently approved.Your local county Agricultural Agentis also very helpful and able to fur-nish you with the latest informationregarding pesticides.

Mealy bugs are small, white, soft-bodied insects about 3/16 of an inchlong. Their waxy coating protectsthem from some insecticides, but if

the infestation is not too severe, theyare quickly dispatched by touchingthem with a small brush or bit of cot-ton dipped in alcohol. A close watchmust be kept to eliminate any culprit

escaping this first treatment as wellas those hatching later from eggspreviously laid. The most likely placeto find mealybugs on the Mesembsis between the old dried leaves andthe new ones on the highly succulent

species. Here, the "mealies" find theclose, secret spot they love to start acolony.

Red spider, or spider mite, isbarely visible, even to those with ex-cellent eyesight, and is usually dis-covered by the appearance of tinywhitish or yellowish speckled areason the leaves where it has fed. Con-

trary to the mealybug, which thrivesin a warm, humid atmosphere, thered spider likes it dry. Only withheavy infestation is the minute web-bing visible, and usually only theshrubby type of Mesembs is threat-ened by this pest. A simple treatmentis to wash them off the plants with aforceful spray of water, holding the

pot at an angle to prevent soakingthe soil. Check with your local gar-den center for a spray for mites.

With crickets, caterpillars, grass-hoppers, snails, etc., the damage isonly too obvious - a bite taken out ofa plant and invariably your mostprized one! It is incredible how acricket or grasshopper can unerringly

locate a flat of Lithops optica cv.Rubra to snack on among thousandsof less valuable plants.

Here again, the Mesemb collectoris lucky; as a plant such as Lithops,Dinteranthus, Conophytum, Argy- roderma, and others of similar grow-ing habit will put out a new set ofleaves the next growing period as

the old ones dry up, leaving an un-marred specimen for future enjoy-ment. Even with the less succulentspecies, the damaged leaf will even-tually dry up as growth proceeds. An

12



immediate seek-and-destroy missionis the best solution to these occa-sional predators.

Probably the most surprising ca-lamity faced by the beginning collec-tor is that of watching a seemingly

healthy plant rot and turn to mush al-most overnight. This catastropheusually happens when plants are ov-erwatered or under stress created bylong periods of low light. An excellentstudy of the cause of soft rot in Lith- ops by J. A. Jump et al. (1980) at lastgives us the answer to this riddle.The study tells us that the rot is

caused by several species of fungiwhich probably enter the plantthrough open stomata below soillevel. If noticed in time, the area ofrot can be trimmed from the leaf, orin the case of a double-bodied plantthe infected body can be removed atthe root in order to save the remain-der of the plant. Unfortunately, the

rot is usually discovered after theplant collapses.The best procedure, of course, is

prevention by keeping the plants onthe dry side and periodic treatmentwith Chinosol (8-hydroxyquinolinesulphate). It has been found thatplants in infected soil resist the rotuntil they are put under stress by low

light and/or excessive dampness.That is why you are urged to resistthe temptation to overwater and ov-erfertilize your plants; this is againsttheir nature and while you may pro-duce an abnormally large plant in ashort time, you will also produce aweak one, ready to drop at the firsthint of adversity. Such treatment also

tends to destroy the very characteris-tic so admired by the true Mesemblover, that of a hard, tough, compactplant.

SEED

GERMINATION

Although the Mesembs are easilypropagated by seeds, you can in-

crease the odds of successful propa-gation by taking the precaution ofsterilizing pots and soil mix, as wellas any tools used during the pro-cess. Soil sterilization has alreadybeen discussed under SOIL. Potsand tools are sterilized by cleaningand then soaking them for 15 min-utes in a mixture of 3 tablespoons of

Chlorox to one quart of water. Drainand let dry before using them.To sow seeds, take a pot of

firmed-down basic soil mix and scat-ter a sprinkling of fine gravel, suchas white bird gravel sold in petshops, over the surface. Spread onlya sparce covering so that the seedswill have little nooks and crannies in

which to settle as they are sown.After the seeds have been scatteredover the surface of the seed pot, adusting of fine sand helps settlethem into the crevices between thefine gravel but care should be takennot to cover the seeds completely.The seed pot should then be placedin a tray of Chinosol solution about

half as deep as the pot and left tosoak until the top of the soil mix isthoroughly wet. This Chinosol treat-ment (see DISEASES and PESTS) isone last precaution against dampingoff, the bane of propagation byseeds.

After the soil is saturated, removethe pots from the soaking tray and

cover with plastic or a sheet of glassto provide the humidity necessary forgermination. If only a few seed potsare involved you can easily put theminto plastic 'baggies' and tie the tops.

13



A group of pots may be placed in adeeper tray or pan and plastic or asheet of glass placed over the top ofthe tray. In the nursery we use 4 x 8ft. tables covered with heavy plasticsheeting, the sides being raised andclipped to the sides of the seed pots

to form a tray for bottom watering. Atent of plastic sheeting is then con-structed over each seed table to pro-vide humidity. It is of utmostimportance to maintain the humidityuntil germination is completed; oncethe seed pot dries out, germinationalmost invariably ends.

Since the majority of the Mesembsare winter growers, we prefer toplant in the fall when the shorterdays and cool nights provide themost favorable conditions for germi-nation. A temperature of 70° F.(20°C.) is suitable with germination beingretarded as temperatures rise above80°. Cool night temperatures down to50° F. (10° C.) seem to be beneficial

as long as they rise again during theday. About 60% shading is used inthe beginning with this being reducedas the seedlings progress. A sheet oftissue paper or piece of netting willsupply the necessary shading foryour seed pots.

Under these conditions the seedsof most species germinate between3 and 7 days. Dinteranthus vanzylii isusually the last to germinate, some-times taking as long as two weeks.Under lights, the germination periodwill be somewhat prolonged, usuallyabout double the time required undernatural conditions.

After germination is well underway, the covering should be slightlyraised since even very young seed-lings do not care for humid, stagnantair. During this period watering, ifneeded, should be done from thebottom as even the finest spray from

above might disturb the germinatingseeds. Once the major wave of ger-mination appears to be over, startlifting the covering from the potsgradually so that by the time theseedlings are a month or two old thecovering has been completely re-moved. At this time they can bewatered with a fine spray from thetop or bottom-watering may be con-tinued. Any signs of fungus or damp-ing-off causing rot in the seed potsshould be treated immediately with afungicide or Chinosol and the treatedpot should be allowed to dry out abit.

If germination is not up to your ex-pectations, do not be too eager toblame the seeds. On the whole,seeds of the Mesembryanthemaceae

remain viable for 4 to 5 years, manygerminating better when they are ayear or two old. Occasionally severalpots of the same batch of seeds ger-minate fully, while one with seem-ingly identical treatment may showvery poor germination. Obviously theconditions in this pot, whether lesslight, less moisture, excessive heat,or whatever, differed from the othersenough to inhibit germination.

You may wonder about these elab-orate preparations for seed propaga-tion when you run across volunteerseedlings casually germinating in apot from seeds washed out of cap-sules during watering. Just considerhow small the percentage of germi-nation is compared to that under theoptimum conditions provided by ourseed-sowing routine; it is well worththe trouble.

For the first year the Mesembseedlings require more water andshade than do the adult plants. How-ever, do not keep the young seed-lings constantly damp; allow the potsto dry out on the surface between

14



waterings after the seedlings are twoto three months old. At the sametime gradually remove some of theshading until they are getting only30% to 40% shade in order toharden them off for transplanting andtheir subsequent growth intoadulthood.

Transplanting may begin as soonas the seedlings can be handled, butis more easily accomplished whenthe plants are about a year old. Theymay be transplanted into large pansor individual pots, depending on thespecies and its growth habit. Lithops,Argyroderma, Conophytum, Dinteran-

thus, etc. do better as group plant-ings in larger pots or pans while themore robust, shrubby Mesembs suchas Rhombophyllum, Trichodiadema,

Mestoklema, Faucaria, and the likemay be transplanted directly into in-dividual pots. The species develop-ing large, tuberous roots such asNananthus and Aloinopsis need adeeper pot to encourage and accom-modate such a root system. Keep inmind that the small, individual potswill require much more attention totheir moisture needs than the largermore stable pans of group plantings.

The soil mix should be slightlydamp for transplanting so that a holemade to receive the seedling will re-tain its shape. Make a funnel-shapedhole with a sharpened dowel (or pen-cil) deep enough to accept the rootsof the seedling. Guide the seedlinginto the cavity being careful not todouble back the root tips and holdingit at the proper depth, firmly push thesoil up to the roots with the dowel.When finished, the pots should bewatered, preferably with a fungicide/ bactericide as a protection againstrot, and lightly shaded for a few daysuntil the plants recover from theshock of transplanting.

CUTTINGS

Most of the Mesembs are easilypropagated by cuttings, even thestemless genera such as Lithops.Clumps of these plants can be cutapart and each 'body' will root pro-vided a bit of the meristem is takenwith the cutting. Conophytum clumpsare easily torn apart and rooted.Some of the mat-forming Mesembslike Neohenricia and some species ofCephalophyllum, Gibbaeum andChasmatophyllum produce rootsalong their many runners which canbe snipped off and potted up as sep-arate plants. Fenestraria forms offsetclusters which may be treated in thesame manner.

Cuttings from the shrubby Me-sembs are slightly more difficult but agood percentage of cuttings taken atthe beginning of the growing seasonwill strike roots. Let the cuttings curefor a day or two after treating the cutwith a rooting hormone. Sand orpumice is often recommended as arooting medium but the regularsandy Mesemb soil mix seems towork just as well. Watering the cut-tings initially with a bactericide suchas Chinosol is helpful. The close, hu-mid atmosphere recommended forpropagation of most cuttings is notdesirable for the Mesembs, alwaysthe fresh air fiends, but the soilshould be kept just slightly damp un-til roots are formed. One thing to re-member when taking cuttings is thattheir flowers will not set seed if theyare all from the same parent plant;you must have different plants forpollination. After rooting, the cuttingsare treated as adult plants.

15



THE PLANTS

As a group, the Mesembs exhibitsuch a diversity of form, color, andmarkings that their popularity among

collectors of succulent plants is quiteunderstandable. Eons of evolutionhave equipped them with survivaltechniques which protect them duringthe extended periods of drought theyare frequently forced to endure.

Some, the so-called stemless Me-sembs, such as Lithops, Argyroderma,

Dinteranthus, and Ophthalmophyllym,

have solved the problem by reducingtheir exposed leaf surface to a mini-mum of two closely fused leaves, ofwhich only the top surfaces are ex-posed to the sun. Others, includingPleiospilos and Cerochlamys , are cov-ered with a waxy coating which helpsto prevent transpirat ion. Psamma-

phora exudes a sticky substance

which collects grains of sand to protectits young leaves from the blazing sun.

The Mesembs are programmed togrow whenever sufficient moisture ispresent, as this may be their one op-portunity to store up the necessarywater to sustain them throughlengthy droughts. In habitat thisgrowing period naturally corresponds

with the period of rainfall and thereinlies the source of a lot of confusionfor growers in the northern hemi-sphere. Everyone knows that theseasons are reversed from one hem-isphere to the other, i.e. winter fallsduring July and August in South Af-rica while summer comes in Januaryand February. So when we read that

Gibbaeum comes from the Little Ka-roo where it receives only winterrains, we cleverly put this knowledgeto use and say, "Aha! Since the sea-sons are reversed, this means the

plant grows in summer in our north-ern hemisphere." Not so! It grows inthe northern hemisphere, as it doesin South Africa or anywhere else,when the day-length, temperature,and moisture are suitable for growth,

not according to the calendar month.So Gibbaeum and other winter grow-ers need to be watered during ourwinter. If watered during our hotsummer months of July and Augustwhen the greenhouse temperatureoften soars to 115° F., it will morethan likely rot.

So plants which prefer a winter

growing period in habitat will morethan likely prefer a winter growingperiod in cultivation although In thenorthern latitudes where some areashave week after week of sunlessskies in winter, it may be advanta-geous to give some of the normallywinter-growing Mesembs their dor-mant period in winter and growing

period in summer. It appears that thesuccessful switching of growing sea-sons depends on the nocturnal tem-perature. In areas where thetemperatures at night are relativelycool, a switch is possible with someof the species but others, such asConophytum, Mitrophyllum, Monilaria,

and many of the Cheiridopsis, insist

on going dormant when the days be-come long and hot. We find it impos-sible to switch these plants under ourhot summer conditions here in Texaswhere the night temperatures can re-main above 85° F. even with exhaustfans running. Consequently, we givethem their normal winter growingperiod.

Some of the Mesembs announcethe beginning of their growth periodby showing the tips of the newleaves, or bursting through the driedremains of the old ones as in the

16



Monilaria moniliformis, dormant Monilaria moniliformis, growing

a valuable reference to help you for-mulate a workable chart of your own.

In the following discussion of thedifferent genera, the basic soil mixfor Mesembs is suitable unless oth-erwise indicated. The specificmonths mentioned in relation to flow-ering, watering, etc. are for the north-ern hemisphere unless stated as

being related to their African habitat.

Please become familiar with thebotanical names of the plants anduse them! Common names such as"Split Rock", "Tiger Jaws", or "BabyToes" are certainly more familiarthan the corresponding botanicalyou will be able to read their signs

with greater understanding. Keepnotes on your various plants: whentheir growing periods begin, whenthey go dormant, when they flower,when watered, etc. This will become

case of Conophytum, Oophytum,Lithops, and Cheiridopsis. Others,particularly Monilaria, will remain dor-mant until they receive the moisturenecessary to trigger the growthmechanism. Many simply do as otherplants: begin to show new leafgrowth.

A definite schedule for growing or

resting can be worked out only bythe individual collector for his uniquegrowing situation. Charts have beenworked out showing the dormant andgrowth periods for the plants, whenthey should be watered, and whenthey flower, but these charts are onlyuseful to those growing under condi-tions identical to those of the chart

maker. The best 'chart' to follow isthe one written by your plants. Theywill usually let you know when theyare ready to grow and as you be-come more familiar with their cycle,

17



names, but "Split Rock" may mean aplant quite different from a Pleiospi- los bolusii to another collector. TheLatin and Greek botanical names arenot only very descriptive, for themost part, but enable a collector

from any country in the world toidentify the plant being discussed.Pronunciation difficulties should notbe allowed to curtail the use of bo-tanical names because even bota-nists from different countriespronounce the names differently butstill manage to communicate pre-cisely the intended plant. Besides,

most of the Mesembs are not com-mon, hence no common names, sotake a stab at it!

ACRODON(From the Greek acro meaning tip,

and odonto meaning tooth)The three species are very similar

with attractive "candy-stripe" flowers.The petals are white, edged in pink,with a pink stripe half way up thecenter of each petal in A. subulatus.Growing period is in fall and winter,flowering in January and February.Keep fairly dry after flowering andthrough the summer, watering lightlywhen the leaves show signs of shri-veling. As the name implies, the longpointed leaves have tiny teeth attheir tips.

ALOINOPSIS(From Aloe and the Greek ops

meaning appearance, referring to the

similar habits of the two plants)

This one needs a fairly deep pot to

accommodate the rather large tuber-

ous root system. It seems to need a

winter growing period, flowering inlate winter and spring. A.rubrolineata,

A. orpenii, and A. schooneesii have

yellowish bronze flowers with a thin

red stripe down the center of each

Acrodon subulatus

Aloinopsis schooneesii

18



petal; A. luckhoffii, A. peersii, andA. setifera are yellow flowering; andA. spathulata has pink flowers. Olderplants may be raised so that the in-teresting root system shows abovesoil level to make a very attractive

planting.

ANTEGIBBAEUM(From the Latin ante meaning be-

fore, and Gibbaeum, referring to itbeing a forerunner of Gibbaeum.

Closely related to Gibbaeum, itcomes from the same area in the Lit-tle Karoo where it gets its scant

moisture in winter. Cultivate asGibbaeum.

ARGYRODERMA (From the Greek argyro meaning

silver, and derma meaning skin)An extremely succulent genus with

Argyroderma delaetii

silvery-green, smooth leaves, Argy- roderma comes from the Knersvlaktearea of Namaqualand. It is definitelya winter grower but needs onlyenough water to keep it from shrivel-ing as heavy watering will cause it to

split open. This frequently occurswhen watering is followed by severaldays of cloudy, rainy weather solighter, more frequent watering isrecommended over heavy soakings.Some of the species begin floweringin October, continuing on throughDecember with their white, yellow, orpurple flowers. In summer, Argyrod-

erma should be kept very dry, lightwatering given only when the plantsshrivel badly. Grow in full sun tobring out the silver coloring.

ASTRIDIA

(Named after Mrs. AstridSchwantes)

Habitat is a small area in the Ri-

chtersveld and South West Africa/ Namibia around the mouth of the Or-ange River. Grows and flowers inwinter. Give a dry rest in summer.

BERGERANTHUS

(Named for botanist Alwin Berger)Found mostly in the South Eastern

Cape area between Port Elizabeth

and East London, Bergeranthus canget rain in all seasons but in cultiva-tion seems to do best with a growingperiod during the cooler months. Ex-ception is B. glenensis coming fromthe Orange Free State; this onegrows well in summer. Yellowflowers.

BERRISFORDIA

(Named for the discoverer, G.Berrisford)

Attractive, low-growing, monotypicspecies from the Khamies Mountains

19



in Namaqualand, B. khamiesbergen- sis is a winter grower with pinkflowers.

BIJLIA

(Named in honor of Mrs. D. van

der Bijl)Another monotypic genus, Bijlia

cana, with its smooth, sculpturalleaves, is a most desirable plant.Found only in the area around PrinceAlbert, it is at its best when given awinter growing period and plenty ofsun. After the numerous yellow flow-ers appear in winter, decrease water-

ing to prepare it for a rather drysummer rest.

BRAUNSIA

(Named in honor of Dr. H. Brauns)A winter grower, flowering white or

pink in late winter or early spring.Water lightly during the summer rest

period.

CARRUANTHUS

(From carry meaning Karoo andthe Greek anthus meaning flower)

Although the two species of Car- ruanthus are found just inside a sum-mer rainfall area near Willowmore,they seem to do best in cultivation

with a fall growing period; the yellowflowers appearing in late winter.

CEPHALOPHYLLUM

(From the Greek cephalo meaninghead, and phyllum meaning leaf)

Over 60 species of this low-grow-ing, mat-forming shrubby Mesemb

are found from the southwesternCape area all the way up the coastpast Luderitz, South West Africa/Na-mibia. The rainfall in these variousareas may come in any season but

Bijlia cana

Cephalophyllum alstonii

20



Cephalophyllum thrives best in culti-vation with a winter growing period.Flowers are profuse and vary in colorfrom yellow to bronze to pink to thedeep red of C. alstonii.

CEROCHLAMYS(From the Greek kero meaning

wax, and chlamys meaning cloak)The name refers to the waxy coat-

ing of the leaves. The one species, C.pachyphylla is found in the Little Ka-roo. Given a winter growing period,its pink flowers appear in mid-winter;the variety albiflora flowering white,

of course.

CHASMATOPHYLLUM

(From the Greek chasmato mean-ing gaping, and phyllum meaningleaf)

Forms low shrubby clumps quickly.Although found mainly in summerrainfall areas, in cultivation it doeswell with a winter growing period,prefering only light watering duringthe long hot days of summer. An ex-ception is C. musculinum whichseems to like a summer growing pe-riod to match its habitat rainfall in theOrange Free State. Flowers yellow.

CHEIRIDOPSIS

(From the Greek cheiris meaningsleeve, and ops meaning appear-ance)

A large genus containing over 90species found from Cape Town toLuderitz. The name pertains to thehabit some species have of protect-ing the the new growth with the

drying remains of the older leaves; aprotective sleeve. From winter rainfallareas, Cheiridopsis is definitely awinter grower for us here in Texas.Watering should begin in the fall as

Cheiridopsis candidissima

Cheiridopsis peculiaris

21



the new leaves show signs of emerg-ing. Flowers are yellow, orange,white, or purple and flowering usuallybegins with the intense purple of C.purpurea in November with otherspecies flowering on into March or

April. After flowering, reduce water-ing to prepare the plants for a dryrest in summer when the the oldleaves are drying into protectivesleeves. Those species not formingthe dry sheaths need slightly morewatering in summer when theirleaves show signs of pronouncedshriveling. Cheiridopsis is an easily

grown genus with many attractivespecies.

CONOPHYTUM

(From the Greek cono meaningcone, and phytum meaning plant)

Containing nearly 300 species, thisgenus is badly in need of the current

revisions being made which, hope-fully, will eliminate many obvious du-plications. Conophytum is a wintergrower with its growing period usu-ally announced by the flower pushingthrough the old leaves. Flowers areall colors: white, yellow, greenish, or-ange, pink, and purple. In summerthe old, dry leaves provide protection

for the new growth. Water carefullythrough its winter growing period toprevent the leaves from splittingopen from excess moisture. Sincemost species have a relatively shal-low root system, Conophytum seemsto prefer more frequent light wateringto periodic heavy soakings.

Although some of the species such

as C. calculus grow in full sun inhabitat, many find a foothold innooks and crannies near the tops ofmountains where they get someshading. A most spectacular sight is

Conophytum obcordellum v. mundum

Conophytum stephanii, habitat

22



the habitat of the hairy C. stephanii which grows in clumps as large asfists in almost vertical fissures ofquartzite near the top of a mountainrange. In cultivation the 'Conos' arehappier with some light shading, es-

pecially in summer when dormant. Atthis time give only light sprayingswhich dampen the soil enough toprevent the roots from drying outcompletely but not enough to pro-mote growth.

CYLINDROPHYLLUM

(From the Greek cylindro

meaningcylinder, and phyllum meaning leaf)

Easily-grown compact shrubby Me-

semb with cylindrical leaves. Give it

a fall to winter growing period with

moderate watering. Forms dense

shrubs with age with white to yellow

flowers.

DACTYLOPSIS

(From the Greek dactyl meaningfinger or toe, and ops meaning likeor appearance)

During its winter growing period inthe Knersvlakte area of Namaqua-land, Dactylopsis digitata resemblesclumps of fat, green sausages! Thereit grows by the thousands in saline

soil with some clay. Success in culti-vation depends on giving it a com-plete dry rest in summer with only anoccasional light spraying during thecooler periods of the day from timeto time. The thick finger-like leavesdry up at this time, protecting thenew leaves forming inside. Smallwhite flowers appear near the tips of

the leaves in late winter. A saline so-lution of one teaspoon of commontable salt per quart of water may beused every other watering to helpharden the plant for its summer rest.

One observation is that it invariablybecomes smaller in cultivation. Col-lected plants, even those in SouthAfrican collections, tend to producesmaller leaves each growing period.

DELOSPERMA (from the Greek delo meaning visi-

ble, and sperma meaning seed)

A widespread shrubby Mesemb,Delosperma is found from Luderitzdown the coast to Cape Town, allacross the southern part of South Af-rica, up through the Transvaal into

Zimbabwe, and on up to Saudi Ara-bia! It is grown primarily for its abun-dant red, white, or yellow flowers.Seems to grow and flower most ofthe year with its main growing periodin summer. Keep slightly drier inwinter.

Dactylopsis digitata

23



DIDYMAOTUS(From the Greek didyma meaning

double or twin and otus meaningear)

Another monotypic genus, Didyma- otus lapidiformis, is found in the

Ceres Karoo with its scant winterrainfall. Success in cultivation de-pends on keeping it very dry, evenduring its winter growing period, andgiving it full sunlight. The name re-fers to the two thick, ear-like bractswhich form on each side of the plantand from which white to pink flowersemerge at flowering time.

DINTERANTHUS(Named in honor of Prof. Kurt

Dinter)

Choice mimicry plants from anarea on both sides of the OrangeRiver west of Uppington to aroundPofadder and Warmbad. This areagets mostly summer rain showers,

and in cultivation Dinteranthus is bestgrown by watering in late summer,through the flowering period, taperingoff after flowering as the new bodiesabsorb moisture from the old.Through winter they should be keptquite dry with a watering periodbeing given again in spring when theold leaves are almost consumed. In

summer Dinteranthus needs to bakein the sun to bring out its beautifulpink-grey coloring, with just enoughmoisture to prevent pronounced shri-veling.

The first to flower for us is D. mi-

crospermus, usually in August, butsome years as early as July. Next isD. microspermus ssp. puberulus in

September followed by D. wilmotianus in October and D. wilmotianus

ssp. impunctatus in November alongwith D. pole-evansii. The remainingspecies, D. vanzylii, (not 'vanzijlii' as

Didymaotus lapidiformis

Dinteranthus wilmotianus

24



incorrectly spelled in earlier litera-ture) flowers in late November andwas first classified as Lithops whichit closely resembles. Dinteranthus isa yellow-flowering genus with the ex-ception of D. pole-evansii which pro-

duces a bi-colored flower, the outerpetals being white while the innerones are yellow. These are all verypopular plants and pose no realproblem unless overwatered.

Although German and English ex-perts keep telling us that D. wilmoti-

anus neither branches nor formsclumps, it does in fact form rather

large clumps readily as do the otherspecies. Evidently these experts arethe followers of that unknown philos-pher who said, "All Indians walk sin-gle file, at least the one I saw did"!

DIPLOSOMA

(From the Greek diplo meaning

double or two and soma meaningbody)

The name refers to the two oppos-ing sets of prostrate leaves. The twospecies: D. leipoldtii and D. retrover- sum are found in a very small areanot far off the main highway, N-11, inCape Province near Piquetberg. Dur-ing a mid-winter visit , many large

fully turgid specimens of D. retrover- sum were found. In summer theleaves dry up completely making itimpossible to find in habitat. Theplants should be kept very dry in cul-tivation during their summer dormantperiod. In the fall the appearance ofthe tiny leaf tips is the signal to re-sume watering. The soil in habitat is

a saline, clayey mixture so wateringwith slightly salty water as with Dac- tylopsis is beneficial in preparing itfor its summer rest. Flowers purple inwinter.

Dinteranthus vanzylii

DRACOPHILUS(From the Greek draco meaning

dragon and philo meaning friendly orloving)

Habitat is the area between Alex-ander Bay at the mouth of the Or-ange River up the coast to Luderitz,most of it being in the prohibited dia-

mond area. Dracophilus seems toprefer a fairly dry rest in summer butflowers profusely whenever watered,especially D. delaetianus. The laven-der flowers are very fragrant andquite attractive against the denseclumps of grey-green leaves.

DROSANTHEMUM

(From the Greek dros meaningdew and anthem meaning flower)

Grown mainly for its flowers whichinclude every color except blue, the

25



95 species of Drosanthemum arefound along the southern and west-ern coast of Cape Province up intoNamaland in S.W. Africa/Namibia.This shrubby Mesemb can beplanted outside in summer and usu-

ally flowers the first year from seed.

EBERLANZIA (Named in honor of F. Eberlanz of

Luderitz)

Another shrubby Mesemb found insouthern Cape Province, along theOrange River and southern S.W. Af-rica/Namibia to Luderitz. White to

purple flowers in clusters, may begrown out in summer.

EBRACTEOLA From the Latin bracteol meaning

bract and e meaning without)

Forms attractive dwarf clumps withthick root, white or pink flowers inwinter. Grows in small area west of

Luderitz and just south of Windhoekin S.W. Africa/Namibia.

FAUCARIA (From the Latin fauc meaning

throat or jaw and the Greek ari meaning much)

As the name implies, clumps of

Faucaria with the soft teeth usuallyfound on the leaf edges resemblemany gaping jaws. An easily growngenus of 33 species found in thesoutheastern Cape Province and asmall pocket in the southern area ofthe Great Karoo. Here it gets mostlysummer rains, so in cultivation it isgiven a summer growing period. Fau-

caria quickly forms dense clumpsand is most attractive in winter whenthe leaves take on a purplish hue ifthe plants are kept dry and givenplenty of sun. It can withstand exces-

Ebracteola candida

Faucaria tuberculosa

26



sive watering better than most of thehighly succulent Mesembs and isrecommended for the beginning col-lector. The yellow or white flowersappear in late summer through mid-winter.

FENESTRARIA (From the Latin fenestra meaning

window and the Greek ari meaningmuch)

The name refers to the transparentwindow in the tip of each club-likeleaf. The two species, F. aurantiacaand F. rhopalophylla inhabit a small

area along the coast beginning a fewmiles north of Luderitz and ending just south of the Orange Riveraround Alexander Bay. Here theygrow almost completely buried in thesand, depending on coastal fogs fortheir moisture. In cultivation, Fenes- traria is best grown well out of thesoil due to our higher humidity.

Some collectors grow it successfullyby planting it rather low in a pot andfilling almost to the leaf tips withcoarse gravel, but most prefer togrow it well out of the soil so that itmay be seen and admired. Addabout a third more sand to the basicmix for this plant.

Fenestraria is a winter grower,

though its water requirements aremoderate, and should be left to coastthrough the summer with only an oc-casional light sprinkling . Overwater-ing causes the leaf tips to literallyburst from the excess water they tryto store, leaving a scar as if some-one had circumscribed the leaf witha knife. Both species flower from Oc-

tober into January with the newleaves forming at the same time.

Early accounts list F. aurantiaca asyellow-flowering but both white andyellow-flowering plants of this spe-

Fenestraria aurantiaca

cies have been found in habitat. Thewhite-flowering F. rhopalophylla is asmaller plant than F. aurantiaca withshorter leaves, more sharply definedwindows, and smaller flowers.

FRITHIA (Named in honor of Mr. Frank

Frith)Frithia resembles Fenestraria at

first glance, but the leaves are roughand the tips are truncate, rather thansmooth and rounded as with Fenes- traria. Coming from a small areanear Pretoria in the Transvaal whereit receives only summer rain, Frithia- grows and flowers throughout the

summer. The attractive flowers withthe outer halves of the petals abright magenta appear as early asMarch, depending on available mois-ture. In fact, it can be kept flowering

27



grower and should be watered in fallas the leaves show signs of newgrowth. Watering should be contin-ued through the flowering periodwhich usually begins with the ma-genta flowers of G. dispar in January

or February and ends in April or Maywith G. haagei or G. schwantesii.

In summer Gibbaeum should beleft to bake in the sun with only oc-casional light sprinkling to preventthe roots from drying out completely.G. petrense and G. heathii may re-quire slightly more moisture thanmost of the other species, but over-

watering during the hot summer daysis likely to cause rot. Most of thespecies form clumps readily, andsome, such as G. pretense, producelarge mats of dense growth.

Frithia pulchra

all year if there is sufficient light andwarmth in winter to permit watering.However, we prefer to give it a dryrest in winter and begin our regularwatering in March. Frithia is a verydesirable plant, easily grown, com-pact, and most rewarding.

GIBBAEUM(From the Latin gibb meaning

humped)

The 21 species of this very inter-esting Mesemb are found, for themost part, in a small area in the LittleKaroo where the infrequent moisturethey receive comes as soaking win-

ter rains. The two opposing leavesare of different lengths, often mark-edly so, with the shorter leaf appear-ing as a 'hump'; hence the name.Gibbaeum is definitely a winter Gibbaeum heathii

28



Gibbaeum pubescens

GLOTTIPHYLLUM(From the Greek glotti meaning

tongue, and phyllum meaning leaf)The name refers to the habit of the

linguiform leaves stretching out fromthe stem like tongues. This is aneasily-grown Mesemb from south-eastern Cape Province, and it thrives

on neglect, requiring only moderatewatering during its growing period.

Glottiphyllum can receive rain at allseasons in habitat, but in cultivationwe find it best to give it a fall to win-ter growing season when it brightensthe greenhouse with masses of largeyellow flowers. Give it full sun and lit-tle water to bring out its coloration

and prevent gross obesity. Thosewith cooler summer temperaturesmay find that this plant grows equallywell in summer which will presentfewer problems with over-watering.

HEREROA

(Named after the Hereros , S.W.African natives)

An attractive small, compactshrubby Mesemb found in scattered

locations through Eastern CapeProvince, Little Karoo, Great Karoo,Cape Province, Bushmanland, andon up into S.W. Africa/Namibia northof Luderitz. Because of this wide-spread distribution, they receive hab-itat moisture in all seasons, but incultivation Hereroa does well with afall-winter growing period with yellow

flowers appearing in late winter.Again, cooler summer temperaturesmay allow you to grow this plant insummer.

HERREANTHUS

(Named after Hans Herre and theGreek anthos meaning flower)

Herreanthus meyeri

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A monotypic genus, the singlespecies, H. meyeri, is found nearSteinkopf, Cape Province, where itgets winter rain. Given a fall-wintergrowing period in cultivation, thescented white flowers appear in the

fall.

IMITARIA (From the Latin imitari meaning to

imitate)

The name refers to the plant's sim-ilarity to Conophytum, Ophthalmo-

phyllum, Lithops, and Gibbaeum. Thesingle species of this monotypic ge-

nus, Imitaria muirii, was classified atone time as Gibbaeum nebrownii.

Coming from the very dry winter rain-fall area of the Little Karoo, we givethis one a winter growing period,treating it much like Gibbaeum. Itflowers for us in winter with thelarger clumps very attractive whencovered with the magenta flowers.

Like Gibbaeum, this plant needs torest during the heat of the summer.

JACOBSENIA

(Named in honor of Dr. HermanJacobsen)

Coming from a small area in Na-

maqualand near Vanrhynsdorp, this

plant prefers a winter growing periodwith only a little water in summer.

The rather large white flowers of J.

kolbei appear in late winter as do the

light yellow flowers of the other spe-

cies: J. hallii.

JENSENOBOTRYA

(Named after E. Jensen and theGreek botrya meaning cluster ofgrapes)

As the name implies, this plant,with its bunches of rounded leaves,

Imitaria muirii

resembles a cluster of grapes. Thesingle species. J. lossowiana, is foundonly on Dolphin Hill at Spencers Bayin the restricted diamond area of theNamib, where it subsists on the con-

stant sea fogs. This environmentalfactor is responsible for making Jen- senobotrya unique among the Me-sembs as the stems of some of theplants may be as old as 200 years!This is possible only because of thesea fogs which keep it alive duringprolonged droughts when plants inless fortunate localities may die back

to their roots. Taking this habitat in-formation into consideration, the logi-cal treatment in cultivation seems tobe light frequent sprayings during itswinter growing period.

30



JUTTADINTERIA (Named in honor of Mrs. Jutta

Dinter)

This genus grows in the southerntip of the Namib from Luderitz,across the Orange River into the Ri-chtersveld where it gets winter rains.Watering should begin in late fall asthe new growth is seen, tapering offafter flowering. It appears to be sen-sitive to overwatering in summerwhen it should be kept on the dryside. Grown in full sun, Juttadinteriadevelops its attractive grey-greencolor.

LAMPRANTHUS

(From the Greek lampro meaningbrilliant or clear and anthos meaningflower)

A very widespread genus, thisshrubby Mesemb is found from thesouthern tip of South West Africa/Na-mibia, through southeastern CapeProvince, around the Cape almost toDurban. It is grown mainly for its col-orful flowers and may be planted outin summer where it forms largeclumps.

LAPIDARIA

(From the Latin lapis meaning astone, lapidaria, a group of stones)

A monotypic genus, Lapidaria mar-

garetae comes from an area nearWarmbad, S.W. Africa/Namibia asdoes Dinteranthus microspermus andit should be given about the sametreatment. Here we have an exampleof how common names can be mis-

leading: sometimes called the "KarooRose", Lapidaria is not known to ex-ist in the Karoo! It was formerlyclassified as belonging to the genusDinteranthus, then as an Argyrod-

erma, until it was finally decided thatthis beautiful plant is truly in a classby itself.

Give it a late summer growing pe-riod as the flower buds develop. Ifgiven ample water at flowering time

Lapidaria will often produce a sec-ond flower within a month after thefirst, the second bud pushing outpast the still-green seedpod of thefirst flower. The petals of the ratherlarge yellow flowers tend to stain theleaves when they wilt, but the stainis easily wiped off with a dampsponge. Of course, great care should

be taken not to over-water this plantas its habitat in southern Namalandis one of the most arid areas inSouth West Africa/Namibia. It shouldbe given plenty of sun to develop theattractive grey-green coloring, tingedwith pink, of its sharply chisledleaves.

Lapidaria margaretae

31



LITHOPS

(From the Greek litho meaningstone and ops meaning face, orappearance)

The fascination this genus holds

for the true "Lithoparian" is under-standable when one considers theinfinite variety of color and markingsfound in Lithops ! According to latestrevisions of the genus by DesmondT. Cole, there are over 145 varieties,forms, and cultivars representing 36species. Some Lithops once givenforma staus are now considered cul-

tivars. This not only eliminates someof the repetitious forma epithets usedin the past, but provides a means ofcoping with new aberrants appearingin cultivation.

The habitat of Lithops is quite ex-tensive in area but only sparcelypopulated with widely separated col-onies. From the northern Transvaal

near the border of Zimbabwe, colo-nies of Lithops exist westwardthrough the northern and centralareas of Cape Province, southwardinto the Little Karoo, and northwardup the west coast through SouthWest Africa/Namibia, almost toAngola.

Some species are found in the

grassveld where they receive amplewater and nourishment. Others existalong the edges of depressionscalled "pans" which may keep theplants flooded for days when theyare filled by heavy rains. However,most Lithops are found in very arid,desolate areas where they strugglefor survival against the broiling sun

and sandblasting wind. Here theyeke out a meager but tenacious exis-tence, hounded not only by the ele-ments, but by foraging animals suchas goats, birds, baboons, and graz-

ing buck. In some colonies rodentshave completely eradicated theplants by digging around them andeating the roots. The average annualrainfall in many of these areas is 50mm or 2 inches! In many locations

the plants seldom get actual rain butsubsist on the heavy fogs that formduring the night.They are the masters of camou-

flage, some having coloration match-ing the soil, others resembling thestones among which they grow, andstill others may have streaks orsplotches of soil color along with the

translucence of the stained whitequartz of their habitat. During periodsof drought, which is most of the time,Lithops are almost impossible to findin habitat as they shrivel up and be-come almost buried in the sand.Much has been written about theirso-called "contractile" roots withwhich they pull themselves down into

the soil, but there is a question con-cerning whether this ostrich-like be-havior is due to root action or to theextreme shriveling and subsequentcovering by blowing sand.

Lithops may be found on low,quartz-covered mounds called "kop-

j ies" encompassing only a fewsquare yards as well as on the steep

sides of a mountain in the Halen-bergs overlooking a gravel quarry. AtLuderitz you will find L. optica grow-ing only a stone's throw from the seawhile the type locality of L. gesinae v.annae sends you on a half-day'sclimb up a mountain nearHelmeringhausen.

Taking all of this into consideration,

it is amazing that all species of Lith- ops can adapt to the growing condi-tions of our greenhouses and homes.Although coming from both winterand summer rainfall areas, Lithops in

32



cultivation seem to conform agreea-bly to the schedule we have workedout. Beginning with flowering, whichstarts in late summer with the 'pseu-dotruncatellas', the plants should bewatered whenever the soil dries out.

After flowering, water is withheld sothat the plants will absorb the mois-ture from the old leaves. We ceasewatering Lithops toward the end ofNovember, giving them nothing untilMarch when most of the old leavesare dry and paper thin. The excep-tion is L. optica which flowers muchlater, usually in January, and needs

light watering until that time. Remem-ber, as long as there is enoughmoisture to keep the fiberous feederroots going, the old leaves will re-main plump while the new pair ofleaves develop. Carried to the ex-treme, this can produce a grotesqueplant sporting several pairs of leavesat the same time. Continuous growth

also seems to prevent flower devel-opment.

When the old leaves have driedup, for the most part, in spring, therecomes another period of watering topromote growth in the new leavesand plump them up for the hot sum-mer. Let them coast through summerwith only occasional light watering

when shriveling becomes pro-nounced. Remember, Lithops, as domany of the other Mesembs, growwhenever there is sufficient moistureso their cycle must be controlled bymanipulating their water supply.

Some collectors seem to think theplant is dormant when the old leavesor "bodies" begin shriveling in winter

when water is withheld after flower-ing. However, inside those old leavesthe new ones are developing whichsurely constitutes a state of activegrowth. After the new leaves have

reached their full size by early sum-mer, there is actually no further de-velopment until the flower appears inthe fall and the cycle begins again.

The sandy quick-draining soil ofthe basic Mesemb mix suits Lithops

in cultivation, although some speciesgrow in clayey soils in habitat. Theydetest stagnant humid air and shouldbe given a dry airy atmosphere withplenty of light. Since few artificial en-vironments can even approach thelow humidity these plants are accus-tomed to in habitat, they should bepotted up so that at least half of the

body is above soil level as some pro-tection against the soft rot (see DIS-EASES). Some collectors give thesoil a top dressing of gravel or peb-bles after planting to give the plantsa more natural setting.

Lithops bromfieldii site,Upington, Cape

33



MACHAIROPHYLLUM

(From the Greek machair meaningsword or dagger, and phyllum mean-ing leaf)

Coming primarily from the south-

ern Cape area, Machairophyllum canreceive rain in any season in natureand will grow whenever watered incultivation. However, the typical Me-semb growing period of fall-winterseems to suit it best.

MAUGHANIELLA (Named for Dr. H. Maughan

Brown)Another monotypic genus, Maugh-

aniella luckhoffii is endemic to asmall area in the Knersvlakte northof Vanrhynsdorp. This very rare Me-semb is similar in its growth habits toDiplosoma with the leaves drying upcompletely for the summer dormantperiod. In habitat it is found in a sa-

line soil with such a high clay contentthat when dry, it feels like talc. How-ever, there is the ever-present sandand quartz gravel to give the soil po-rosity. Plants collected in mid-winterin South Africa flowered and immedi-ately became dormant when facedwith our long hot summer days. Thewhite to slightly pink flowers should

appear in midwinter. Success in culti-vation depends on letting it go com-pletely dormant in summer when itwill dry up to just a small button.

MESTOKLEMA

(From the Greek mesto meaningfull and klema meaning small branch)

The name describes its growthhabit of clustering of leaves on manysmall branches. The large, tuberousroot system makes Mestoklema anattractive plant when raised so that

the roots are partly above the soillevel. The branches can be prunedto keep it a compact miniature shrub.A summer growing period suits itwell at which time it flowersprofusely.

MEYEROPHYTUM(Named in honor of Rev. G.

Meyer)

The habitat of Meyerophytum is theKnersvlakte in Namaqualand and tothe north around Anenous Pass.Here it receives winter fogs and driz-zle. In cultivation it should be

watered in the fall as the new leavesbreak through the dried skins of theold ones, much as with Mitrophyllum.

The intense magenta flowers of M.

meyeri are a very pleasant sight inmid-winter. This plant needs the typi-cal dry rest in summer with only oc-casional light watering.

Meyerophytum meyeri

46



MIMETOPHYTUM

(From the Greek mime meaning animitation and phyton meaning plant)

The name refers to its close re-semblance to Mitrophyllum from

which it differs only in the seed cap-sule. Mimetophytum is found in asmall area of the Richtersveld nearthe Orange River northeast of Alex-ander Bay in the winter rainfall area.In cultivation it should be given thesame treatment as Mitrophyllum.

MITROPHYLLUM

(From the Greek mitr meaning capor turban and phyllum meaning leaf)

The two leaves joined almost totheir tips resemble a Bishop's mitre,hence the name. Coming from theRichtersveld just south of the habitatof Mimetophytum, Mitrophyllum,

grows in winter. Begin watering in fall

as the new leaves show signs ofbursting through the dried remains ofthe old leaves and continue until thewhite to yellow flowers appear in latewinter. At this time watering shouldbe reduced, giving only enough tokeep the plants more or less turgid.In summer it should remain fairly dry,never receiving enough moisture to

promote new growth. The old leavesprotect the new growth developinginside through the hot arid summerand become paper-thin as fall ap-proaches and the cycle begins again.

MONILARIA (From the Latin monil meaning

necklace or string of beads: monilaria

meaning many strings)The name refers to the closely

joined nodes formed with each grow-ing period which resemble a string ofbeads. From its Namaqualand habi-

tat we know Monilaria grows in win-ter and its cultivation is much thesame as for Mitrophyllum. However,Monilaria sometimes has to becoaxed into its growing period bywatering before there are any signs

of new leaves. If there is no indica-tion of new growth by October (earlyfall), it should be encouraged bywatering. As the new leaves appear,more water may be given. Continuemoderate watering until after flower-ing in late winter, but the leavesneed not be fully turgid at all times;let them droop a bit between water-

ings. During the summer the leavesdie back to the nodes and only lightinfrequent watering should be givenduring this dormant period. Theplants appear to be dead at this timebut the new growth inside is justwaiting for the right conditions tosend it into another growth cycle.

Mitrophyllum affinis

47



MUIRIA

(Named in honor of Dr. John Muir)The habitat of Muiria hortenseae is

the very arid Little Karoo, home ofGibbaeum. Here, the pitiful amount

of moisture it gets usually comes inwinter. In cultivation its habits aremuch the same as Gibbaeum, butMuiria should be allowed a very dryrest in summer when the old leavesdry and shrivel to protect the newgrowth inside.

NAMIBIA

(Named after the Namib Desert)Coming from the prohibited Dia-

mond Area around Luderitz, Namibia

has been quite rare in collections un-til recently. The greyish mounds ofvery succulent leaves form extensivecolonies on rocky outcroppings. Incultivation it is treated like Juttadin-

teria with a rather dry summer restafter its winter growing period.

NANANTHUS

(From the Greek nanos meaningdwarf and anthos meaning flower)

Growing in the eastern section ofthe Great Karoo, southern Kala-hari, Orange Free State, and Trans-

vaal, Nananthus gets mostly summerrains and does well with a late sum-mer growing period in cultivation.The large tuberous roots make it anattractive plant when raised abovesoil level as the plant grows older.Numerious yellow flowers, some withred center stipes down each petal,cover the plant in its late summer-fall

flowering period. It seems to appreci-ate ample watering during its grow-ing period but allow it to dry outbetween waterings. Its long roots re-quire a rather deep pot.

Nananthus transvaalensis

NELIA

(Named in honor of Prof. G.C. Nel)Habitat is in northern Namaqua-

land, east and south of Port Nollothwith winter rains and fogs. In cultiva-tion Nelia requires water from late fallthrough its late winter flowering pe-riod. In spring gradually reducewatering in preparation for a fairlydry summer rest. Once open, thesmall white flowers remain open dayand night for several weeks.

NEOHENRICIA

(Named in honor of Dr. M. HenriciThe single species, Neohenricia

sibbettii comes from the center of theGreat Karoo Near Victoria West

where it receives scant summer rain.However, we have found that in culti-vation it needs more water that onewould think and consequently it getswater twice as often as most other

48



Mesembs. In winter keep it on thedry side but even then it requiresmore moisture than the average Me-semb. A dense, mat-forming dwarf,Neohenricia soon fills its pot andsmall whiteish flowers open late

afternoon into night. Grow in stronglight to produce the attractive red-dish-brown coloration to the wartyleaves.

ODONTOPHORUS(From the Greek odonto meaning

tooth and phorus meaning bearer)

The name describes the tooth-like

projections found at the leaf tips. Thesmall habitat area of Odontophorus lies just north of Steinkopf in the Ri-chtersveld with its winter rains. Incultivation give it a growing period infall and early winter. After floweringin mid winter, taper off on wateringfor its dry rest in summer.

OOPHYTUM(From the Greek oo meaning egg

and phytum meaning a plant)

A nice clump of this plant does in-deed look like a cluster of tiny eggs.A winter grower from the Knersv-

lakte, Oophytum needs a dry sum-mer rest like Conophytum.

OPHTHALMOPHYLLUM

(From the Greek ophthalmo mean-ing eye and phyllum meaning leaf)

Found east of the Richtersveld,down into Namaqualand and backacross the Orange River in SouthWest Africa/Namibia. Growing almostcompletely buried in habitat, theshiny tips of Ophthalmophyllum doresemble eyes as they catch a glintof sunlight. In cultivation it is bestgrown as Lithops with most of theplant above soil level to prevent rot.

Neohenricia sibbettii Ophthalmophyllum dinteri

49



Give it a short growing period in fall,slacking off on watering by mid-win-ter and let it coast through a ratherlong summer dormant period with lit-tle watering. The white, pink, or ma-genta flowers herald the beginning of

the growing period in fall.

OSCULARIA

(From the Latin oscul meaning lit-tle mouth: oscularia, a group of littlemouths)

The opposing leaves, sometimeswith tooth-like projections along theedges, give the appearance of manytiny mouths. Coming from the SouthWestern Cape area just east of CapeTown, Oscularia receives an abun-dance of winter rain but little, if any,in summer. In cult ivat ion it growsbest when given a fall-winter growingseason with the attractive pink flow-ers covering the small shrubs in late

winter. Full sun gives it its nice greycoloration.

PLEIOSPILOS

(From the Greek pleio meaning fulland spilo meaning spot)As the name implies, the leaves of

this genus are full of darker spots ordots. It is found in scattered coloniesthrough the Karoo, South EasternCape, up into the Orange Free State.In some areas the rains may comeat any time of the year, but it growspredominantly in summer rainfallareas. Popularly called "Split Rocks",P. bolusii and P. nelii are to be found

in most collections of succulentplants. In cultivation give it a summergrowing period and a fairly dry rest inwinter after flowering. Over-wateringmay cause it to split.

Oscularia caulescens

Pleiospilos nelii

50



PSAMMOPHORA

(From the Greek psammo mean-ing sand and phora meaning to carryor bear)

This description refers to the plant

being covered with grains of sandwhich are caught by a sticky sub-stance exuded by the new leaves,providing some protection from theburning sun. The habitat of Psammo-

phora is the southern part of the Na-mib from Luderitz, over the OrangeRiver into the Richtersveld. It is awinter grower and water should be

given in the fall as new leaves ap-pear in the center of the cluster.After flowering in December, water-ing should be decreased, leading upto the dry rest in summer.

RABIEA

(Named after Rev. W.A. Rabie)Coming from eastern Cape Prov-

ince, the Karoo and Orange FreeState, Rabiea gets mostly summerrain and does well with a summergrowing period in cultivation. Afterthe yellow flowers appear in late fall,give a fairly dry rest through winter.

RHINEPHYLLUM

(From the Greek rhine meaning fileor rasp and phyllum meaning leaf)

The name refers to the roughnessof the leaves. Its habitat in the GreatKaroo and the Little Karoo gives it avaried rainfall period, but in cultiva-tion is does very well with the usualfall growing period for Mesembs. R.muirii is an exceptionally attractive

plant with its fleshy root system.After flowering in early spring, water-ing should be decreased for the fairlydry summer rest. Grow in full sun forbest coloration.

Psammophora longifolia

Rhinephyllum muirii

51



RHOMBOPHYLLUM

(From the Greek rhombo meaninga parallelopiped and phyllum mean-ing leaf)

Habitat is the Great Karoo and

South Eastern Cape within the sum-mer rainfall area. Watering in earlyspring usually brings many yellowflowers from April through June.Continue moderate watering throughthe summer, giving it a fairly dry restin winter. Rhombophyllum is an easyplant in cultivation and flowersprofusely.

RUSCHIA

(Named in honor of Ernst Rusch)This large (about 350 species) ge-

nus is widespread from Windhoek,S.W. Africa/Namibia, down to CapeTown and up into the Transvaal nearPretoria. This encompasses practi-cally all climatic conditions and most

species seem to adjust to eithersummer or winter watering sched-ules. We find the typical Mesembfall-winter growing season suits Rus- chia very well and in any event, it iseasily grown in cultivation. Thedwarf, compact species are espe-cially nice in a collection.

RUSCHIANTHUS

(Named in honor of Ernst Rusch)The single species, Ruschianthus

falcatus, is found in a small area insouthwestern Namaland in S.W. Af-rica/Namibia where the rains, if any,usually come in winter. Its scimitar-shaped leaves form attractive

clumps, and the greenish-white flow-ers appear in late winter to spring.After flowering, water should begradually decreased for a rather drysummer rest.

Rhombophyllum dolabriforme

Ruschia pygmaea

52



Ruschianthus falcatus

SCHWANTESIA

(Named in honor of Dr. G.Schwantes)

The habitat of Schwantesia is anarea beginning at Luderitz, southeast

to the Orange River, and crossingover into the Richtersveld and Bush-manland. Given its growing period inthe fall and winter, Schwantesia flow-ers profusely through the winter,even into summer if watering is con-tinued. In fact, this plant seems will-ing to grow whenever there isenough moisture. However, the best

procedure in cultivation calls for afairly dry summer rest, letting it bakein the sun to bring out the grey color-ing tinged with pink along the leafedge. Schwantesia ruedebuschii

53



SPHALMANTHUS

(From the Greek sphaler meaningslippery or treacherous and anthus meaning flower)The name refers to the condition

created by the plant's runners rootingand forming loops which can trip ahiker. Coming primarily from the win-ter rain area along the coast fromLuderitz to Cape Town, Sphalman-

thus grows best in cultivation with afall-winter growing period. The yel-lowish-green or reddish flowers ap-pear in late winter. Give it a rest in

summer.

STOMATIUM

(From the Greek stomato meaningmouth)

A widely scattered genus found inisolated colonies from the Richters-veld, down through Namaqualand,

the Karoo, South Eastern Cape, andinto the Orange Free State. Its namemakes reference to the small,toothed leaf pairs giving the appear-ance of many gaping mouths. In cul-tivation it thrives on a fall and wintergrowing period with moderate water-ing. The yellow, white, or pink flow-ers open late afternoon or evening

and are quite fragrant in most spe-cies. The short-stemmed branchesform dense mats.

TITANOPSIS

(From the Greek titano meaningchalk and opsis meaningappearance)

The name refers to the chalky ap-

pearance given to the leaves by thetiny white tubercules. Although mostinformation about Titanopsis men-tions its need for additional lime orold brick mortar in the soil mix to

Sphalmanthus viridiflorus

Titanopsis calcarea

54



give an alkaline growing medium, wehave found that it grows perfectlywell in the slightly acidic mix used forthe other Mesembs. For us it growsbest with a winter growing period,flowering in mid-winter, and baking in

the sun during its summer rest withlittle watering. Begin watering in thefall as new growth appears and con-tinue with moderate watering throughthe flowering stage. After flowering,give it the usual drying-out period toprepare it for a summer rest.

TRICHODIADEMA

(From the Greek tricho meaninghair and diadema meaning crown)

The name refers to the tuft of bris-tles at the end of each leaf lookinglike a tiara or crown. Another wide-spread genus, Trichodiadema isfound mainly in Namaqualand andacross the southern Cape with a fewisolated colonies in the Ritchersveld

and across the Orange River insouthern S.W. Africa/Namibia. Not adifficult plant, a fall-winter growing

period suits it with only moderatewatering in summer. Many specieshave a large, tuberous root systemwhich may be raised partially abovethe soil level as the plants grow olderto give a "Bonsai" effect.

VANHEERDEA (Named in honor of P. van

Heerde)

Although its habitat in Bushman-land gives it both winter and summerrainfall, in cultivation Vanheerdeaseems to prefer a winter growing pe-riod with the flowers appearing in

early spring. Its moisture require-ments are negligible in any season,so keep it rather dry.

VANZIJLIA (Named after Mrs. Dorothy van

Zijl)

A shrubby Mesemb found in onlytwo spots along the coast in the Van-

rhynsdorp area. Give it a fall-wintergrowing period and fairly dry rest insummer.

Trichodiadema stellatium

55



IN SUMMATION, letus repeat that the growing and rest-ing schedules of the different generagiven should be used only as aguide, changes being made as indi-vidual growing situations require

them.The Mesembs are far more adapt-

able than most collectors realize,many readily adjusting their growingor resting periods according to theamount of moisture present. The im-portant factor is a definite cycle ofgrowth and rest most suitable to yourclimate. Some species will remain in

a constant state of growth as long asthey are watered, but not only willplants forced into this prolongedgrowth lose their characteristic form,they seldom flower and soon die.

The most meaningful guide togrowing the Mesembs is the one youwill write yourself, if you keep an ac-curate record of the treatment you

give your plants and their responseto it. To the perceptive grower, eventhe occasional loss of a plant cancontribute information which will leadto successful cultivation.



SUGGESTED READING

B o o k s :

Andersohn, G. Cacti and succulents.Wakefield: EP Publishing Ltd.,1983

Bolus, L. Notes on mesembryanthe-

mum and allied genera, Part III.

Cape Town: Univ. of Capetown,1936-1958

Borror, D.J. Dictionary of word roots and combining forms. Palo Alto:

N-P Publications, 1960Haage, W. Cacti and succulents, a

practical handbook. (Rev. ed.)New York: E. P. Dutton, 1970

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seed. Excelsa 1, 1971, 51-54

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Richtersveld, between Rosyntjie & Hellskloof

View from L. schwantesii site in Tiras Mts., S.W. Africa

the new growing the mesembs

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