Faucaria introduction

Description   Plant height: up to 100 mm Plants form small clumps with similar sized leave pairs. Dark green to yellow or even reddish leaves are triangular in shape, keeled and have a bottom chin. Upper surface can be smooth, tuberculated or ribbed. All species leaf margins are distinct and can be toothed, or have white margins which may be smooth. Flowers are mostly yellow, but rarely it can be white. They open mostly by mid afternoon in late summer to Autumn. Fruit capsules are 5-locular, woody and remain on the plant, until old and squeezed out by new growth. At this time 6 species have been identified, reduced from 30+ in 1999. Faucaria bosscheana (A.Berger) Schwantes Faucaria felina subsp. felina (L.) Schwantes Faucaria felina subsp. britteniae (L.Bolus) L.E.Groen Faucaria felina subsp. tuberculosa (Rolfe) L.E.Groen Faucaria gratiae L.Bolus Faucaria nemorosa L.Bolus ex L.E.Groen General area of distribution in Eastern Cape, SA. Faucaria subintegra L.Bolus Faucaria tigrina (Haw.) Schwantes Natural Distribution Dormant season: Hot Summer or cold winter period They are part of subtropical thickets in the Eastern Cape, where they are almost solely found. The thickets are nearly impenetrable with little open areas, within, and this is where they tend to grow. They tend to grow in the shade of trees. This area receives both summer and winter rainfall. Propagation The baggy method works well, but enough light for the seedlings have a longish stem and can topple over easily. Seedling Cultivation notes Soil should well-drained.  They tend to rot on the soft woody stems, so ventilation is important. I tend to refrain from watering on cloudy/rainy days and try to water the soil, occasionally misting the leaves, rarely enough to go through. I also keep mine in a morning sun position in which they seem to do well and flower well. I have grown them in zone9 for a few years, but kept them covered on nights when frost was expected. Z3 Z4 Z5 Z6 Z7 Z8 Z9 Z10 Z11 Notes Zone √ √ √ Indoors or windowsill Yes (morning sun) Outdoors in pots Yes (in mild conditions) Greenhouse Yes (best outside their habitats) Landscape Only in areas with light-no frost – I have one in the garden Sun Exposure Semi (summer) Below is some of the species and their difference in leaf shapes. We will go into these different species at a later stage.