Faucaria tigrina (Tiger's Jaw) | World of Succulents

Scientific Name

Faucaria tigrina (Haw.) Schwantes

Common Names

Tiger’s Jaw, Tiger Jaws, Shark’s Jaws, Shark Jaws

Synonyms

Mesembryanthemum tigrinum (basionym)

Scientific Classification

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

Description

Faucaria tigrina is a small, succulent, clamp-forming perennial up to 6 inches (15 cm) tall. The leaves are thick, triangular, light green (turning purplish in strong sunshine) in color and up to 2 inches (5 cm) long. On the edges of the leaves there are upright, soft, white, up to 10 teeth in opposite pairs that look like an animal’s mouth. The flowers are large, up to 2 inch (5 cm) in diameter, silky in shape and yellow in color.

Photo via wikipedia.org

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zone 9a to 11b: from 20 °F (−6.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Faucarias are mostly spring and fall growers. They need good drainage but with a little shade they will do just fine even with extreme heat, although they do stop growing then, and they need water every few days. When they lack water, as many other mesembs, the stems die and some of the rosettes are not connected to the roots by any living tissue. When found in time, the rosettes can be used as cuttings and keep in the shade in a barely moist medium until the temperature cools down in the fall.

They bloom for several months in in 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. Flower color ranges from yellow to white and even pink… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Faucaria