![]() Also, Conophytums go into deep dormancy in the spring, just when other houseplants start to grow well. Watering is done in autumn and in winter but it is necessary to privilege light but repeated watering to large spaced waterings. Keep cool and shaded in summer and put them in a sunny position during winter. The light needed will depend on the season of the year. LightĬonophytums need light during their growth process. Obviously, if you provide them with the right conditions, they will reward you with their unique shape, size, color and a proliferation of blooms in autumn. How to grow for Conophytum plants?Ĭonophytums need special care because they grow in the opposite seasons of almost all other plants. All these species dry out in summer, forming a greyish protective layer. The smallest does not exceed 5 mm in the adult state (C. Also, these robust caespitose (groundcover) plants produce actinomorphic, bisexual, yellow, white, orange-red or pink flowers during autumn and then capsular fruits that will only open in the rain. Furthermore, the plants have fibrous roots, with a stem like Conophytum biloba or absolutely without any stem. These leaves can have green to brown, red or gray color, and can be spotted, striped or without any patterns. Known as living stones, knopies (buttons), waterblasies (water blisters), sphaeroids, conos, cone plants, dumplings, or button plants, Conophytums have conical leaves fused in pairs and constituting the body of the plant. The plants of this genus are native to the Western part of South Africa and Southern Namibia. For information on pests see Conophytum ficiforme.Conophytum is a genus of about 110 small perennial succulents belonging to Aizoaceae family. Seedlings are better off left together for at least the first year after which they can be pricked out in clumps or as individuals and transplanted. During this time they should not be allowed to dry out, only until their first summer comes around, a time at which they should be watered only every two weeks. Most seeds will have germinated in ten days.Īfter two weeks, remove the covering and mist the seedlings daily and soak from below once a week. After a week, leave the covering slightly ajar to prevent algae growth. Let the pots soak in water from below and cover with plastic or glass. Sow the seeds thickly and cover with a layer of fine gravel, no deeper than 2mm. Use the same soil as for cuttings, but use a 2mm sieve to sift the soil and sterilise in the oven for an hour at 180 degrees Celsius. Seeds are ready to sow as soon as the capsules are dry. Propagation via seed is slightly more effort but definitely rewarding. Use warm water in fine sprays to moisten the plants from autumn to spring and be sure to leave them dry and shaded in their dormant period during the summer months. Bright morning light and some shade in the afternoon is ideal for the plants. These should be taken a few millimetres below the growing point, which is where the base of the body joins to the woody stem/sheaths.Ī slightly acidic growing medium is best, and can be made up using equal parts of sieved, well-composted potting soil and coarse river sand. ![]() The easiest and most popular method of propagation is by taking cuttings. The plants can be very long-lived, some individuals have been known to live as long as 40 to 50 years.Ĭonophytums love to grow in pots, as they are naturally adapted to growing in cramped spaces. Seed capsules are brown, spotted and very small, 3×5mm, but robust and bear many tiny seeds. ![]() calculus has spicy, clove-scented, golden yellow to dark orange flowers which are nocturnal, i.e. The old leaf becomes a thin, dry, and smooth, beige sheath, sometimes turning black, which persists on the plant.Īs for most Conophytums, this species flowers in autumn. New leaves are formed inside the existing ones and when, after a year, the leaf body starts to die, a new one emerges from inside. The leaf bodies are always without any spots or detail and measure up to 30mm in diameter. The spherical leaf bodies are completely smooth and hairless, characteristically opaque (non-transparent and non-glossy) and have a chalky-green to pale yellowish green. calculus is a small, but very tough, low growing stemless succulent with individual rounded `leaves' (fused together into one body) that multiply with age and cluster together to form a dome-shaped cushion.
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