Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name

Habitat:

Adromischus marianae 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. The “Coffee Bean” form is, also, a nursery cultivar and thus doesn’t exist in nature.

Description:

A. marianae “Coffee Bean” is a tiny succulent, very sought after by collectors due to its oddly-shaped leaves that look like some kind of coffee beans. They indeed are almond-shaped and equipped with a central fissure that looks like the one present on the coffee bean Another peculiarity of this form of A. marianae is its wrinkled surface: if you run your fingertip on it, you will feel it’s very rough and leathery. The form of these leaves is so odd that the rosette of this plant remind actually a bunch of pebbles. To be more specific, some pointed pebbles: the almond-shaped leaves possue, in fact, a sharp point. Their colour also remind the one of some rocks, being brownish grey, with some scattered reddish tinges. Flowers, like in all forms of A. marianae, 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.

Cultivation:

A. marianae “Coffee Bean” is not difficult to grow. Here below are our cultivation tips:

Choose a bright spot, where the plant can receive plenty of light. If you place it indoors you will need to put it close to a sunny window. A direct exposure to sunlight could, however, cause leaves wrinkling the leaves: check that the plant isn’t exposed to direct sunlight for too many hours a day.
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.
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 marianae “Coffee Bean” 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. 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

Tips:
Read our advice