Conophytum bilobum subsp. gracilistylum

Scientific Name

Conophytum bilobum subsp. gracilistylum (L.Bolus) S.A.Hammer

Synonyms

Mesembryanthemum gracilistylum (basionym), Conophytum gracilistylum, Derenbergia angeiformis, Derenbergia gracilistyla

Scientific Classification

Family: Aizoaceae
Subfamily: Ruschioideae
Tribe: Ruschieae
Genus: Conophytum

Description

Conophytum bilobum subsp. gracilistylum is a small succulent plant with pale pink flowers. It has neat, glossy, very slender, long-lobed, pale green bodies with a fine spotting. The paired leaves are very slender, up to 3 inches (7 cm) tall, with leaf-tips (lobes) up to 0.4 inch (1 cm) long. The flowers are diurnal, slender and rarely wide-spreading, up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) long, scentless, pale pink to rose-pink. Flowers bloom in early autumn.

Photo via flickr.com

How to Grow and Care

Conophytums are usually grown in dish gardens where they spread slowly but make good ornamental plants for window gardening. They also do well in rockeries where they can be grown in crevices.

The Conophytum vegetate during the winter season. They must then be kept dry during hot, gradually wet upon autumn arrival: the moisture stimulate the release of new root hairs and the plant will grow for the entire winter season, foliar issuing new pairs from inside the existing ones. Flowering usually occurs in autumn and the color of the flowers is extremely variable from species to species. The cultivation is quite easy, but care must be taken to avoid excess water and to prevent rot: the plants themselves communicate their water needings with a slight wrinkling of the epidermis. They do not particularly fear the cold weather and can resist also at temperatures of 23°F (-5°C), as long as the soil is completely dry and the temperature returns rapidly to rise… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Conophytum.