Winter emergence: Tylecodon, Conophytum and Cheiridopsis

in Succulent growers4 years ago (edited)

Many of the succulents that fascinate me most come from the desert areas of my country and they hibernate in summer to escape the extreme heat. Rain falls in late summer and Autumn so this is the time that the Conophytums emerge from their shells and Tylecodon starts to grow new leaves. The cyclone that passed through last month brought cooler temperatures and rain, which encouraged all of these winter growers to wake up.

Tylecodon.jpg
This cute little fuzzy could be Tylecodon albiflorus but I'm not sure.

conophytum2.jpg
Conophytums bursting out of their shells. I'm not sure what species these are, all the conophytums are still very green because they didn't see the sun for the past three weeks. That's going to change soon and I'll be able to identify these. They were sent to me as they were going dormant last year so I haven't seen their normal colours. The shells are the outer skins of the old growth which protect against the sun and excessive water loss

Conophytum obcordellum.jpg
This is C. obcordellum and the flowers only open at night, that's why only the buds are visible.

conophytum minutum.jpg
C. minutum. When I got these 2 years ago, there were only 3 heads. Last year there was one more and this year another was added. These are very slow growers, who knows when they will finally flower?

conophytum.jpg
Another new, unidentified species, that are starting to colour up and will look quite different in a week or two. These grow much faster, each head has turned into 3 this season.
conophytum marginatum.jpg
I think these are Conophytum marginatum. They seemed slow to emerge so I opened the shells to let the light exposure encourage growth and it seems to have worked. Last year, I killed a new conophytum because it didn't open by itself and I waited before watering it and nothing happened. I think they need to settle in and may need encouragement after the stress of being repotted just as they went dormant. Normally, Conophytums should be kept dry when they are dormant but I was worried that these would not form roots after being repotted so I watered them lightly from time to time to keep the roots alive.

To give a true indication of the actual size of these tiny and fascinating little button plants, this is my finger for comparison. In nature, they grow in cracks in the rocks and they can be kept in these pots for many years.

conophytums.jpg

Finally, this is Cheiridopsis peculiaris which woke up finally due to the humidity after the rain, letting me know it's time to give it water again.

cheiridopsis peculiaris.jpg

It's a bit problematic to keep these winter growers in a summer rainfall climate because water when they are dormant will kill the plants but I find these irresistible. Conophytums need to be grown on an east-facing windowsill, the others tolerate more sun.

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Manually curated by ackhoo from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!

 4 years ago (edited) 

Thank you AC! @ackhoo

You're very welcome, @nikv!

Looks like succulents are very particular and not so easy to grow. 😊

 4 years ago  

Yes they are particular but once you have learned what they need they also thrive on neglect

I see. 👍

Very original skullents. It is probably impossible to see them in nature. They can probably only be grown at home. Super.

 4 years ago  

They can be seen in nature, they grow in little clumps

They are so unusual, foreign & exotic looking. Many must only have come from your area originally...

 4 years ago  

They are only found in one part 9f the world. Sadly, they have become vulnerable to poaching in the wild

Yep the way of the world unfortunately..

Super!
I'd love to see them bloom!
I'm waiting for the photo!

 4 years ago  

Ok 😁 many have purple flowers

Agreed, I'm waiting :-)

These are adorable! I've shared your post in the Lotus Garden newsletter.


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 4 years ago  

Thank you so much!

I have no idea what are these plants. Even just by its name, I was very confused. I noticed they were too small as well. Which part of the country this plant do grow? It will grow taller or what will it be?

 4 years ago  

That is the full size and they grow in the desert 🌵

They are cute little succulents. My favorite is the three one with the buds showing.

 4 years ago  

The little flowers that open at 2am are really cute too. They are very fragrant, to attract moths

They are all beautiful. I still can't go out and buy mine.
I like those that you have there, none of those I have been able to see in these places.

 4 years ago  

They are rare and difficult to grow outside their native climate. I hope you are able to go outside soon, I have been receiving plants and seeds in the mail during our lockdown

You're lucky that despite all the bad things at least your post office works.
Here the things they send us are lost and if the packages do arrive, the price they charge upon arrival is more expensive than what the package brings, because they charge in US dollars.
At any moment I will leave at my risk and the first thing will be to go to a plants sale.

 4 years ago  

That's terrible. Our post office is also bad, although not quite as much.
Because of this, private courier firms do the work instead. It's not much more expensive than our post office and it's faster and reliable

Congratulations on this. I am not proud of any public service here now. And the private service was full of corruption and exploitation. we get used to the bad.
A hug.

These are awsome. I love the unique character of succulents

 4 years ago  

Yes, me too! Good to see you around

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