Pleiospilos nelii
Pleiospilos nelii, Splitrock, is a small gem of a plant from the northern part of the Little Karoo to the southern part of the Great Karoo, on either side of the Swartberg Mountains, it's habitat overlapping that of Trichodiadema densum. Growing close to the ground, its greyish-blue globe-shaped succulent leaves are mottled with tiny spots of translucent epidemal fenestrations that enable light to enter down into the interior of the leaf where photosynthesis can occur. The generic name Pleiospilos means many spots. The outer leaf pair has a sharp cleft in the middle from which the new leaf pair emerge and each year the old leaf pair slowly drys out and withers, giving way to the new growth in much the same way that Lithops species grow. The flower is usually a brownish-orange with an inner circle of whitish-yellow. The anthers are pale yellow on white filaments.
Pleiospilos nelii makes a perfect houseplant and as long as it is not over-watered and has good light, its cultivation is simple and straightforward, requiring little care. It is an ideal plant for anyone but makes a great gift for a young budding plant enthusiast to encourage their wonder of the natural world
Additional Information
| Order | Caryophyllales |
|---|---|
| Family | Aizoaceae |
| Sub-Family | Ruschioideae |
| Synonyms | Pleiospilos pedunculatus, Pleiospilos tricolor |
| Geographical Origin | South Africa: Western and Eastern Cape Provinces |
| Cultivation | Full Sun. Dry, gritty, mineral substrate that is very free-draining. Water very modestly through summer and keep dryish in autumn and winter - just a tiny amount of water to encourage flowering |
| Eventual Height | 1-2cm |
| Eventual Spread | 2-4cm |
| Hardiness | Cold tolerant and takes a light frost in its native range down to about -5C but not a frost-hardy plant in the much colder and wetter UK. Needs to be kept dry through the winter. Indoors only or in a cool glasshouse |
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