Adromischus is endemic in South Africa and Namibia. The type species of this genus is Adromischus hemisphaericus. Based on floral characters, this genus can divided to 5 sections
Adromischus, named after the ancient Greek "adros" (thick) and "mischos" (stem), is a genus of the Crassulaceae family. This genus was described by Charles Antoine Lemaire in 1852.
IDENTIFY ADROMISCHUS PLANT
Adromischus is endemic in South Africa and Namibia. The type species of this genus is Adromischus hemisphaericus. Based on floral characters, this genus can divided to 5 sections: Adromischus (flowers bright green, tubular, with short, wide, triangular, recurved lobes and the anthers protrude from flower tube), Boreali (grooved, tubular flowers, with ovate-triangular, recurved lobes that are undulated on the margins and the anthers protrude from flower tube), Brevipedunculati (grooved, funnel-shaped flowers with acuminate-triangular, widely spreading lobes, born on long stalks and inflorescence branched), Incisilobati (tubular flowers with elongated lanceolate-triangular lobes with short, compact, upright stems), Longipedunculati (pale or pubescent inflorescence with elongated lanceolate-triangular lobes).
The species from this genus are perennial, herbaceous, succulent plants that grow upright to down lying and reach a height of up to about 20 centimeters with short, thick, recumbent stem which is densely covered with rusty-red aerial roots that absorb moisture from the air that carry thick, fleshy leaves that grow in clumps arranging themselves in the shape of rosette.
These succulents bloom in summer with generally small flowers, with a greenish-white tube and pink or reddish corolla and produce sufficient nectar to start a fungal infection, especially towards the end of the growing season. As the flowers are not showy, many growers cut off the developing flower stems to avoid botrytis. The only species worth growing for its flowers is Adromischus phillipsii, which has relatively large showy orange tubular flowers, reminiscent of those of Cotyledons to which Adromischus is closely related and with which it was once grouped.
Some common species: Adromischus cristatus (dark green leaves and white flowers with a mixture of green, pink at the ends of the petals), Adromischus cooperi (shiny green leaves with purple-brown spots and red-green flowers with white, pink or purple edges), Adromischus poellnitzianus (light green stem gradually expanding at the top into a wide flattened part with a wavy edge, covered with tiny sparse white hairs), Adromischus maculatus (dark green epidermis with beautiful reddish spots and red-brown flowers), Adromischus trigynusa (dark green leaves with red-brown spots on both sides and red-brown flowers).
ADROMISCHUS PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Adromischus like full sun to bring out their true colours and are very suitable for beginners. A position where the plant can receive a lot of light is recommended. If you grow indoors you need to leave them near a sunny window. The direct sunlight could, however, wrinkle the leaves so it is important to check that the plant is not under the sun for many hours a day.
Temperature:
The Adromischus thrive in warm environments (ideal is 24 ° C), but they resist well even at lower temperatures. Adromischus tolerate cool, frost-free conditions during the winter if kept dry. It is as well to keep water off the foliage during the winter. Their limit is 5 – 10 ° C. In winter it is good to place them in a sheltered environment and especially out of the rain: water stagnation between the foliage can be fatal.
Substrate and growing media:
Many species are easy to grow in any free-draining gritty compost. Their compact habit allows a collection to be maintained in a small space. A well-drained soil: for example, a mixture of peat and sand with the addition of a little of gravel. The repotting it is not necessary to increase the size of the plant (unless one wishes to develop in width) but it is useful to keep it in good health and to slow the aging.
Watering:
Regular watering in summer (approximately every two weeks), scarce in winter (one per month). But if the plant is located in the apartment it will need to be watered more frequently, to resist to the environmental dryness.
Fertilizer:
The fertilizer can be limited to the growing season and after any repotting, always with the specific fertilizers. They are fed from spring to autumn once a month with fertilizer for cacti. In the autumn and winter do not feed the plant.
Rest period:
The dormant period of the plant comes in the winter. At this time, it is recommended to place Adromischus in a bright, cool place (temperature is about 10-15 ° C, not lower than 7 ° C), rarely water or without irrigation.
Propagation:
Many species can be propagated from a single leaf, which should be placed against the side of the pot so that the stem end is just touching the compost. Some species drop their leaves easily and although each leaf will form a new plant it can be a challenge to grow a large specimen. In other cases, leaves for propagation must be carefully detached with a sharp knife. Adromischus phillipsii is easier to propagate from stem cuttings than from individual leaves.
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