Synonyms:

Adromischus blosianus
Adromischus geyeri
Adromischus kubusensis
Adromischus rodinii

Habitat:

Adromischus blosianus is one of the numerous, different forms of Adromischus marianae, and it is widespread in the Richtersveld mountains and coastal Namaqualand, where it grows into rocks crevices or in the shade of shrubs and bushes and forms mats. A. marianae, instead, is widespread in a big area of southern Africa, extended from Namibia to the Western Cape in South Africa. Adromischus marianae is a variable species, which means it includes several subspecies, many of which are really sought after by collectors. Many of them are nursery cultivars, while other ones are just subspecies that can be found in peripheral parts of the distribution area of A. marianae.

Description:

Adromischus blosianus is actually a synonym of A. marianae var. kubusensis, one of the numerous forms of A. marianae. It is a tiny plant that manifests a unique phenomenon of polimorphism: the basal leaves are indeed succulent are lumpy, short, fat, irregularly shaped so that they look like strange sculptures or pebbles, while the apical ones are elongated, almost cylindrical, similar to small sausages or fingers. Moreover, the basal leaves are definitely grey with whitish, irregular blurs, while the apical ones are more bright green. The basal part of thte youngeer leaves can show a reddish tinge. Due to the odd shape of the basal leaves, each individual of this species is different from another one. This, along with the general oddity of this plant’s appearance, makes A. blosianus very sought after by succulent collectors. The peculiar leaves, like in all Adromischus, are grouped in a rosette. Its flowers, instead, are not so remarkale: like the ones of most Adromischus, are insignificant: they are green with a pinkish tinge and they reach a length of 1,2 centimeters. They are grouped in a ear that sprouts from the central part of the plant. This plant possues fibrous roots.

Cultivation:

Adromischus blosianus is not the easiest species to grow, being very subsceptible to rotting. Here below are our cultivation tips:

Choose a partially shaded position. If exposed to noon sun, this plant gets sunburnt.
Choose a well-ventilated place. Adromischus doesn’t like stagnant air.
All Adromischus love hot temperatures (the ideal is 24 ° C), but they also can resist to cold. Their limit is 5 – 10 ° C. In winter it is good to place them in a sheltered environment and, especially, away from rain: water stagnation on the rosettes can be fatal. In particular, the limit for A. blosianus is 5ºC.
We advice to apply regular watering in summer (approximately every two weeks), scarce in winter (one per month). Nevertheless, if the plant is located indoors, it will need to be watered more frequently.
Choose a well-drained soil: for example, a mixture of peat and sand with the addition of a little of gravel.
The fertilizer can be limited to the growing season and after any repotting, always with a product specific for succulents, diluted at half of the dosed written on the label.
All Adromischus remain modest in height but are highly ground covering. Repotting it is not necessary to increase the size of the plant (unless one wishes to develop in width: if so, wide pots must be used) but it is useful to keep it in good health and to slow the aging. 

Propagation:

The propagation of Adromischus blosianus can be very easily carried out through cuttings, using the leaves. Just cut off a healthy leaf, let it rest one day in a warm environment to let the wound dry, and finally place it upright in a pot with a light, porous soil. Use the apical, cylindrical leaves, not the lumpy ones of the base. Start to take off cuttings when the plant begins to age; all Adromischus, in fact, aren’t so long-lived: after a few years, they begin to wither and to lose their leaves even though they are grown under optimal conditions.

Curiosity:

The name ” Adromischus” comes from the ancient Greek adros (=thick) and mischos (=stem).

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

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