Scientific Name
Boucerosia frerei (G.D.Rowley) Meve & Liede
Common Name(s)
Indian Frerea
Synonym(s)
Ceropegia frerei, Caralluma frerea, Caralluma frerei, Desmidorchis dalzellii, Frerea indica
Scientific Classification
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Ceropegieae
Subtribe: Stapeliinae
Genus: Boucerosia
Origin
The native range of Boucerosia frerei is restricted only to six areas in Maharashtra state in India. It occurs on rock crevices and exposed hill slopes at elevations between 2,800 and 4,600 feet (850 to 1,400 m).
Description
Boucerosia frerei, also known as Frerea indica or Ceropegia frerei, is a succulent plant with trailing or pendulous stems, unusual compared to its close relatives in bearing large oblong leaves. The thick, fleshy stems are pale green with scars of fallen leaves. They are branched, cylindrical to somewhat 4-angled with slightly swollen nodes, and up to 20 inches (50 cm) long. The opposite leaves are fleshy, shiny green, oblong, up to 2 inches (5 cm) long, up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, and with and taper to an up to 0.4 inches (1 cm) long petiole. In habitat, the leaves grow during the monsoon season, and during dry seasons, the plant drops the leaves to conserve moisture.
The star-shaped flowers are crimson to cherry-red with yellow markings and appear solitary or in pairs in summer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 10b to 11b: from 35 °F (+1.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Stapeliads are relatively easy to grow. However, they should be treated as outdoor plants as they will easily rot indoors and cannot flower without exposure to outdoor temperature fluctuations. They should be grown under cover so that watering can be controlled. Stapeliads require a reasonable amount of sunlight to promote flowering and maintain a well-shaped plant. Very shady positions will produce very poor flowering.
These plants come from climates where they survive extremely high temperatures in the summer months, so most growth is in spring and fall, with flowering in fall when the weather cools down. In the growing season, water in moderation, ensuring the soil is fairly dried out between waterings. Do not water between late fall and early spring.
The easiest and best way to propagate Stapeliads is from stem cuttings, which can be taken virtually throughout the year. They can also be propagated by seeds.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Stapeliads.
Links
- Back to genus Boucerosia
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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