Scientific Name
Faucaria bosscheana (A.Berger) Schwantes
Synonym(s)
Faucaria bosscheana var. bosscheana, Faucaria paucidens, Faucaria kendrewensis, Faucaria peersii, Mesembryanthemum bosscheanum, Faucaria albidens, Faucaria haagei
Scientific Classification
Family: Aizoaceae
Subfamily: Ruschioideae
Tribe: Ruschieae
Genus: Faucaria
Etymology
The specific epithet "bosscheana (boss-shee-AY-na)" honors L. Van den Bossehe (fl. 1910), a Belgian horticulturist in whose garden in Tirlemont the first plants were grown from seed received from Harriet Margaret Louisa Bolus, Cape Town, South Africa, in December 1904.
Description
Faucaria bosscheana is a small succulent plant with pale green to gray-green leaves that are quite variable in shape. It grows up to 2 inches (5 cm) tall. Leaves are triangular, with 2 to 3 or no teeth, up to 1.6 inches (4 cm) long and up to 0.4 inches (1 cm) wide. Flowers are bright yellow, up to 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, and appear from late fall to early winter.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 9ba to 11b: from 25 °F (−3.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Faucarias are mostly spring and fall growers. The various species make excellent pot subjects and have been cultivated in Europe for over three hundred years. They need good drainage, but with a bit of shade, they will do just fine even with extreme heat, although they do stop growing then and need water every few days. When they lack water, like many other mesembs, the stems die, and some rosettes are not connected to the roots by any living tissue. When found in time, the rosettes can be used as cuttings and kept in the shade in a barely moist medium until the temperature cools down in the fall.
They bloom for several months in the fall or the beginning of winter. The flowers open around midday and close in the late afternoon. They often don't open if the weather is cloudy or if they are in the shade. The flower color ranges from yellow to white and even pink. Most species will take a small amount of frost.
Faucarias are easily propagated by seed.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Faucaria.
Origin
Faucaria bosscheana is native to South Africa (Eastern Cape).
Forms
Links
- Back to genus Faucaria
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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