Scientific Name
Tylecodon wallichii (Harv.) Toelken
Common Name(s)
Common Pegleg Butterbush, Pegleg Butterbush, Wallich Tylecodon
Synonym(s)
Cotyledon wallichii, Tyledocon papillaris subsp. wallichii, Tylecodon wallichii subsp. wallichii
Scientific Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Kalanchoideae
Genus: Tylecodon
Etymology
The specific epithet "wallichii (wall-IK-ee-eye)" honors Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854), a Danish surgeon and botanist who worked in Calcutta, India.
Origin
Tylecodon wallichii is native to southern Namibia and South Africa (Northern Cape and Western Cape).
Description
Tylecodon wallichii is a small, sparingly branched succulent shrub with a grayish-black main stem and gray-green branches. It can grow up to 32 inches (80 cm) tall. The main stem can reach up to 2.4 inches (6 cm), while the branches up to 0.6 inches (1.5 cm) in diameter. They are densely covered with long phyllopodia, sometimes replaced by a peeling bark. The leaves are cylindrical or slightly grooved above, tapering toward the apex, curved inwards, measuring up to 4.8 inches (12 cm) long and 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) in diameter. They are grey-green to grey-brown and crowded at the tip of the branches.
The flowers are greenish-yellow, tubular, and can grow up to 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) long. They appear on tall, branched stalks when the plant sheds its leaves in summer.
How to Grow and Care for Tylecodon wallichii
Soil: A well-draining soil mix is the key to healthy Tylecodon. Poor drainage and overwatering most commonly cause root rot in both indoor and outdoor plants.
Light: Tylecodons can survive direct sunlight exposure without problems, but they will grow beautifully in shadow.
Hardiness: Tylecodon wallichii can withstand temperatures as low as 25 to 50 °F (-3.9 to 10 °C), USDA hardiness zones 9b to 11b.
Watering: As winter is the growing season, Tylecodons require careful watering from winter until the spring. Get the soil wet, and then wait until it is dry before watering again. In the summer, reduce watering to once per month.
Fertilizing: Use liquid fertilizer for cacti and other succulents in winter.
Repotting: You do not need to repot these plants often. You can do it when the container becomes too small or shallow.
Propagation: Tylecodons can be cultivated either by seed or by cuttings.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Tylecodon.
Toxicity of Tylecodon wallichii
Tylecodon species are adapted to avoid animal predation being poisonous. Therefore, keep them away from children, pets, and livestock.
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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