Synonyms:

Mesembryanthemum rubrolineatum
Nananthus rubrolineatus

Habitat:

A. rubrolineata is native to South Africa, where it grows at many different altitude ranges in crevices of rocks, in arid climate areas.

Description:

Aloinopsis rubrolineata is a dwarf little, mat-forming succulent. Like it happens for all dwarf succulent plants, it is very sought after in ornamental succulent plants world. Regarding this specific species, the reasons probably lie in its intense purple colour, along with its stunning, big, daisy-like flowers and its warty surface. If you, indeed, run a fingertip on the leaves surface, you’ll be tickled by its extreme roughness. The bumps are so crowded to cover the entire surface of the leaves, giving to them a whitish tinge. These structures, along with the hard, leathery surface of leaves, have probably the function to save water and prevent an excessively high rate of water loss through their epidermis. These plants are, in fact, from a very hot and dry climates, and have devised many strategies to oveercome drought. Among them, there is also the gorgeous, tuberous root system, that is a site of water storage along with the succulent leaves. Going back to the physical description of the plant, another feature of it is that it forms several rosettes of opposite-paired and tongue-shaped leaves. Any pair sprouts from the central fissure between the two leaves of the older ones. Leaves, in addiction, can also be club-shaped in some specimens or either shaped like rabbits ears in other ones. In winter, the blooming period of this species occurs: flowers are solitary and borne on numerous stalks that sprout from the basal part of the plant. They are daisy-like and creamy-white, with an orange central line in every petal and a more markedly orange basal part of the petals. The petals are numerous and extremely thin, like the ones of a daisy. The central part of the flower is formed by a cluster of the stamens and stigmas, which are the male and female parts of the flower.

Cultivation:

Aloinopsis rubrolineata is not difficult to grow and, if you live in warm climate areas with dry winters, you might consider to place it in a rocky garden. Here below are our cultivation tips:

Aloinopsis rubrolineata needs plenty of light. However, avoid a direct exposure to sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. The ideal spot should have light during the morning or late afternoon. It happens to be a winter grower and it also blooms during this season, as long as it is provided with plenty of direcg sunlight, that will also enhance its purple tings.
Aloinopsis are resistant plants: it can survive to temperatures until -12ºC, if their substrate is maintained completely dry. We advice anyway to put it indoors when the temperature falls below 0ºC.
Water every week during the Summer and every two-three weeks during the other seasons. In Winter, grow only when you see that the soil is completely dry. If you are growing your Aloinopsis rubrolineata outdoors, pay attention to prolonged rains during the winter, that can damage the tubers of the plant.
Use a well-drained substrate: a cactus mix is the better option. Add some manure to the substrate once a month during Spring and Summer.
Aloinopsis rubrolineata is a dwarf plant and will stay cool in the same pot for years without repotting. You could repot, for example, once every two years, or either anytime you see that the plant is outgrowing its pot. This plant, bytheway, will need a deep pot, that should be capable to host its huge root system.

Propagation:

Propagation can be carried out using seeds or cuttings. The sowing period is in the end of Winter and in Spring. Cuttings can be taken off from the new rosettes came out from the tubers.

Curiosity:

The word Aloinopsis means “similar to Aloe”: that’s because of its similarity to some dwarf Aloe species, although the two genuses don’t even belong to the same species.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

Tips:
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