Synonyms:

Pleiospilos pedunculatus
Pleiospilos tricolor

Habitat:

P. nelii is native to Cape Provinces where the plant grows on sandstone areas in drought conditions.

Description:

P. nelii is a wonderful stemless, drought resistant succulent belonging to the Aizoaceae botanical family. The plant is solitary and can reach up to 8 cm in height and 10 cm in diameter. The body of the plant is made of 2-4 globe shaped leaves. It generally has one head, but over the years, it can generate more of them. The leaves have a deep furrow in the middle and are pinkish-green in color. Blooming occurs from early spring to autumn and buds are borne at the apex of the plant on short pedicels. The flowers are large, daisy-like and have pink to magenta petals with yellow stamens and smell like coconut.

Cultivation:

This is a slow growing plant, easy to cultivate. The plant needs a full light sun exposure but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The plant does not like temperatures below 7°C 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. Remember to use a perforating pot to 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. If you want a faster and lush growth you can fertilize the plant once a month during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for cacti; stop fertilizing throughout 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:

The name Pleiospilos comes from the Greek pléios (many) and spìlos (spot) and refers to the spotted appearance of the leaves, which resemble granite pebbles.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

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