Synonyms:

Aloinopsis albipuncta
Mesembryanthemum albipunctum
Nananthus albipunctatus

Habitat:

R. albipuncta is native to South-east part of Northern cape and South east part of North-western South Africa where the plant grows on loamy soils in plains and slopes.

Description:

R. albipuncta is a shrub succulent belonging to the Aizoaceae. The plant has a shrub habit and forms a rosette of leaves. The roots are tuberous, deep, thick, fleshy and can reach up to 18 cm in depth. The developed roots allow the plant to withstand periods of drought. The leaves are thick, fleshy, triangular to mucronate and dark green in color. The leaves are rough and maculated with darker dots. Blooming occurs from the late spring to the early summer and buds are borne at the apex of the leaves. The flowers are small to medium size, daisy-like with yellow petals with a red stripe. The fruits are capsules and the seeds are black and small. The flowering time is spring-summer but the plant can also bloom in other periods if occur right conditions.

Cultivation:

The plant has a slow growth rate but it easy to cultivate. The best sun-exposure is in bright place but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The minimum temperatures that the plant can withstand are 7 ° C, below this temperature it begins to suffer so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The perfect soil is a well-drained soil that let the water to drain away and avoid root rot. To achieve this feature, you can mix the pumice soil, clay and soil. Using a perforating pot, you can drain excess water. Watering is very important for this species and should be done well: 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. About fertilization, for this plant is sufficient to fertilize moderately during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for succulents and stop fertilizing during the winter. You should repot the plant every 2 years 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:

Discovered and classified for the first time in 1930 by Nicholas Edward Brown, it owes its name to the Reverend W.A. Rabie, a collector at the time. Some species in the genus Rabiea, in particular Rabiea albinota, are used for their hallucinogenic properties. The plants are dried up, shredded and smoked in addiction with tobacco.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

Tips:
Read our advice