Scientific Name
Tylecodon reticulatus (L.fil.) Toelken
Common Name(s)
Oukoe Butterbush, Thorny Butterbush
Synonym(s)
Cotyledon reticulata, Cotyledon parvula, Tylecodon reticulatus subsp. reticulatus
Scientific Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Kalanchoideae
Genus: Tylecodon
Etymology
The specific epithet "reticulatus (pronounced reh-tick-yoo-LAY-tus)" means "reticulated, net-like" and refers to the crown of flower stems that persist after flowering and provide a light shade.
Origin
Tylecodon reticulatus is native to Namibia and South Africa. It grows on stony slopes or loamy flats from southern Namibia to Little Karoo and Klipplaat in South Africa.
Description
Tylecodon reticulatus is a small succulent shrub with a usually solitary, basally swollen stem with a rounded, sparingly branched crown that can reach up to 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter. It can grow up to 15 inches (38 cm) tall, while the main stem can reach up to 2.4 inches (6 cm) in diameter. The stems are covered with yellowish-brown peeling bark or sometimes with short circular phyllopodia on young branches. The leaves are erect to ascending, linear, oblanceolate, or rarely obovate, measuring up to 2 inches (5 cm) long and 0.4 inches (1 cm) wide. They are glabrous to glandular-hairy, yellowish-green, bluish-green to heavily pink-tinged, and crowded at the branch tips.
The flowers are tubular or swollen at the base, yellowish-green, tinged brown, and appear in finely branched thyrses with many dichasia in late spring and summer after the leaves start to drop off. The flower stems persist after flowering, forming a dense reticulate crown above the branches and leaves.
How to Grow and Care for Tylecodon reticulatus
Light: This succulent can survive direct sunlight exposure without problems, but it will grow beautifully in partial shade.
Soil: A well-draining soil mix is key to healthy T. reticulatus. Poor drainage and overwatering most commonly cause root rot in both indoor and outdoor plants. Indoors, it is essential to use pots with at least one drainage hole at the bottom.
Temperature: Like all Tylecodons, this succulent is highly tolerant of high temperatures and can withstand cold, frost-free conditions during winter. T. reticulatus can withstand temperatures as low as 30 °F (-1.1 °C). USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 10a to 11b, 30 to 50 °F (-1.1 to 10 °C).
Watering: As a winter grower, T. reticulatus requires careful watering during winter and spring. Get the soil wet, and then wait until it is dry before watering again. In summer, reduce watering to once per month.
Fertilizing: Use a liquid fertilizer for cacti and other succulents in the winter.
Repotting: You do not need to repot this plant often. You can do it when the container becomes too small or shallow.
Propagation: T. reticulatus can be cultivated either by seed or by cuttings. Sow the seeds in the fall and winter. The best time for taking cuttings is the fall.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Tylecodon.
Toxicity of Tylecodon reticulatus
T. reticulatus is adapted to avoid animal predation by being poisonous. Keep it away from children, pets, and livestock.
Subspecies of Tylecodon reticulatus
Links
- Back to genus Tylecodon
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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