Synonyms:

Ceraria gariepina
Portulacaria namaquensis

Habitat:

Ceraria namaquensis is found in different areas of South Africa and Namibia, including Little Namaqualand, Richtersveld, Bushmanland, and Gordonia. It prefers to grow in open shrubland where it can be found alongside Euphorbia virosa. This species is well adapted to the region’s arid environment and can be found in the Desert, Nama Karoo, and Succulent Karoo. The plant has tiny leaves that help to conserve moisture, but during summer when evaporation is at its highest, the leaves fall off and the plant enters a dormant stage. Despite its unique adaptations to a challenging environment, Ceraria namaquensis is common, widespread, and not at risk of extinction.

Description:

Ceraria namaquensis is a desert plant that grows slowly, has a woody stem, and looks unique. It can reach a height of 1.3 to 1.8 meters and has short, spiky leaves that cover the stout branches which grow upwards and fork. The plant produces pink flowers during spring, with male and female flowers found on separate plants. Ceraria namaquensis has a resemblance to a species of Alluaudia from Madagascar due to its short shoots. The plant’s name is derived from the Greek term for “a little horn” for its forked branches. The stems of Ceraria namaquensis are thick and have a smooth silver-grey to brown bark, with the younger branches pale greyish-green to almost creamy-white. The leaves are fleshy, narrow, and green or grey-green, producing on short shoots that densely cover the stems. Ceraria namaquensis loses its leaves during summer drought, but in cultivation, it tends to retain them year-round. The plant has small and attractive flowers that are pale pink to deep pink with plant dioecious that appears on the same plant. The flowers have five petals, and male flowers have stamens with linear filaments while female flowers have a 3-angled ovary with a short style and two or three branches.

Cultivation:

Ceraria namaquensis is not a challenging plant to grow. Below are some tips for cultivating it:

It thrives in full sun, but you can also place it in partial shade as long as it still receives ample light all year round.
It is best to keep it at mild temperatures and never below 6 °C. Be sure to protect it during the winter season.
Water it moderately and only when the soil is completely dry. In spring and summer, watering once a week is sufficient, while in autumn, reduce to once every two months and completely suspend watering in winter.
A well-draining substrate rich in minerals, such as a standard cactus mix with the addition of pumice, is ideal.
It does not require frequent fertilization; diluting the fertilizer with watering once a year is enough.

Propagation:

Ceraria namaquensis can be propagated by different techniques such as using seeds, cuttings, or grafting, although the latter is the most common. Many people believe that rooting Ceraria namaquensis is impossible; hence, it is typically grafted onto the stems of Portulacaria afra, which grows well in combination with it. The easiest way to graft involves making a wedge-shaped cut at the bottom of the scion and a matching cut at the top of the rootstock, then inserting the scion into the cut and sealing it with grafting wax. The stocks and scions must be of similar thickness, and the cambium layers should line up correctly, with no gaps. However, cuttings taken in the summer have been found to root in commercial peat blocks, where they thrive and grow after about three months. Despite the difficulty of rooting, Ceraria namaquensis and Portulacaria afra are the only members of their family to grow to a tree’s size.

Curiosity:

The etymology of the name “Ceraria” comes probably from the latin word “Ceras”, meaning wax, referring of the waxy coating that covers completely te leaves of this plant.

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