Family: – Dorstenia
Habitat: – Moraceae
Cultivation: –Dorstenia needs half or full shade; water sufficiently during the growing season (spring-summer), while very little water should be given during the winter.

Curiosity: –The name was given in honor of the German botanist Theodor Dorsten (1492–1552).

DORSTENIA KEY FEATURES

Dorstenia is a genus that tends to have a strange caudex extending along the base; these species usually have non-succulent green leaves. The flowers spray seeds when ripe (such as Dorstenia foetida).

VARIETIES AND TYPES

This genus includes 150 species with very different botanical characteristics, but they are all native to north-eastern Africa.

• Dorstenia contrajerva
• D. croccante
• D. foetida
• D. gigas
• D. gipsofila

TIPS FOR CULTIVATION

Dorstenia needs intense light up to partial shade / full shade. Plants of this genus are generally small and live in the shade of other plants.

TEMPERATURE: Maintain the temperature above 15ºC, especially in winter: Dorstenia is a plant sensitive to cold. watering: They need more water than other succulents: allow the soil to dry slightly between one watering and the next, which must be abundant during the growing season. During the winter season, when the plants are dormant, water very little.

SUBSTRATE: Use a well-drained potting soil.

REPOT: Each species has different needs in repotting: they generally do not need large pots, as their roots are not very developed.

PROPAGATION: Propagation can be done by seed or by cuttings. Many species are self-fertile. The seeds are expelled from the heads of ripe seeds (the seeds are expelled “explosively” and can populate the pots in the surrounding area).