Synonyms:

Adromischus antidorcadum
Adromischus herrei
Adromischus marianiae f. alveolatus
Adromischus marianiae var. antidorcadum
Adromischus marianiae f. herrei
Cotyledon herrei

Habitat:

Adromischus marianae is native to Cape Provinces and Namibia where the plant grows on granite hills. Adromischus marianae ‘Bryan makin’ has garden origin.

Description:

Adromischus marianae ‘Bryan makin’ is a very sought after shrub succulent belonging to the Crassulaceae botanical family. The plant is erect, forms a cluster of distinctive leaves and can reach up to 10 cm in height. The stem is erect and short looking like a rosette and basally tuberose. The leaves are obovate to heart-shaped and are tapered at the ends. The leaves are pale green covered with numerous purple dots, rough to the touch and can have a slight groove on the upper side. These plant differs greatly from individual to individual in shape, color, size and habit. This succulent develops a tuberous root over time where it stores water to survive during drought periods. Blooming occurs during the spring and buds are borne by small and long stalks. The flowers are tubular, club-shaped, white with pink-red margins with 5 petals.

Cultivation:

The plant has a slow growth rate but it easy to cultivate. The plant needs a full light sun exposure but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The minimum temperatures that the plant can withstand are 10° C, below this temperature it begins to suffer so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The soil should be mixed with pumice, clay and loam to allow the drainage and prevent the root rot, the plant is prone to it indeed. Using a perforating pot, you can drain excess water. Watering can be done regularly in Spring and Summer: during the vegetative period you can water the plant (every 7 days), checking that the soil is completely dry before watering again; in winter you should stop the watering to allow the plant to enter dormancy. About fertilization, for this plant is sufficient to fertilize moderately during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for succulents and stop fertilizing during the winter. If the pot starts to be too small for the plant you can repot the plant in a pot 2 cm wider. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with fresh new potting soil. Be careful to red spiders and mealy bugs.

Propagation:

Propagation can be done by cutting or by seed. By cutting you can make the cut during the spring and then let the cutting dry; after a few days the cut surface will dry and a callus will form, then place the cutting in a mixture of sand, soil and pumice. To increase the success of propagation you can make two or more cuttings at the same time. For cuttings it is recommended temperatures around 20 °C. By seed it is very simple to propagate the plant, it is enough to sow the seed in a sandy loam soil and keep it with a high level of humidity and at temperature of 14 C°.

Curiosity:

His name literally means “abundant rod”: it grows in clumps of fleshy leaves, which are grouped in rosettes. The genus name Adromischus was chosen by Lemaire in 1852 and it comes from the Greek “adros” (thick) and “mischos” (stem).

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

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