I was visiting a succulent grower the other day and I couldn't resist this one. Tylecodons don't have a common name and they are desert plants, growing in the coastal area of the Richtersveld, which is an area adjacent to the Namib desert. These plants only have leaves for part of the year, in spring, and the rest of the time, they look like this. They grow in winter, which corresponds to the rainy season in the part of the world where they are found.
The stem tips look almost as if they are glowing, these are very sci-fi plants
Tylecodon plants are also very toxic and contain Bufadienolide, which affects the heart and is capable of causing cardiac arrest, although this is mostly only a danger to grazing livestock. When keeping this plant, if you are making cuttings, it is important not to get the sap on your skin.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this plant grows and evolves. It is supposed to be relatively easy to grow but with all of these desert succulents, it's important to resist the urge to over-water them, which causes the roots to rot
I too see this plant for the first time. Very interesting! It reminds me of corals.
Many South African succulents look like they come out of the sea
Thank you, I did not know.
This is the weirdest one I have seen!
Does it always look like this? Does it bloom?
Most of the time it looks like this, although it does make leaves occasionally. It does bloom. Here is a link to a French website with a lot of pictures of plants in various stages
https://www.cactuspro.com/forum/read.php?1,56452
It is so weird! :D
Oh man! I haven’t seen this particular plant, sounds a bit dangerous too! 😅
They aren't common, that's why I was happy to find one
cant wait to see its leaves! id never have guessed this guy was still alive, lol.
I'll post them when they do sprout. This specimen was being kept in particularly hot, dry and sunny conditions. I am giving it morning sun only, a little more water and a bigger pot. It has greened up a little and the stems have filled out
oo so exciting! i love seeing new growth. ive got a few propagation trays of succulents that im constantly looking at to see if any new roots popped out.
Terrible how OCD one can get about succulents ;) Right now, I have a bunch of euphorbia cuttings that I am trying to root. I have to keep telling myself to leave them alone and let them do their thing.
If your weather is still hot and dry, you can get away with misting them. In winter, I sometimes need to soak the leaves in water for about 24 hours to get them to finally pop out roots. It's much easier in summer when it rains and it's more humid. That must be doubly difficult in a winter rainfall area like yours
i feel like its never humid here in Socal! The best thing for me is to leave everything alone. Overwatering was my biggest issue, so the weather here has been helpful.
Very interesting post! I never heard of this plant before. I appreciate you informing me about this particular dessert plant.
WOAH! That is SICK! I would like one but not. Would be too scared to handle it because I am clumsy. It looks like the tips would glow. Like an alien pretending to be a branch with its multiple glowing eyes watching you, waiting to strike!
Hehe. I like to live dangerously
hahaha If I don't see a post from you every 24 hours. I will know why.
It looks like it's bleeding on the tips, does it have white sap?
looking forward to what type of leaves it has and how it transforms. Interesting plant
I haven't tried finding out what colour the sap is but it is likely
I love sci-fi stuffs, your Tylecodon plant is so interesting <3
I think so too :)
What interesting plants. You have quite a collection of succulents. Do you have to keep the plant away from the cats or are they smart enough not to chew on it?
There is enough grass and other things around for the cats to chew on and be amused by so they generally don't damage my plants although I did put it far out of reach. Eating houseplants is usually a bored indoor cat kind of a problem
She is really original as a plant!
That is an interesting way for a cactus to grow
That one I bought like that.
I will try to do transplants this year.
I've never heard of this succulent. Then again my mom always orders the safe ones for her nursery business.
These are normally only kept by collectors. Not safe to have where kids might play with or eat bits of
That is one creepy plant! If I didn't have kids, I would want a creepy plant too!
One of the many perks of not having kids ;) Although when I was young, my mother had a couple of very poisonous specimens in the garden. We were warned not to mess with them and we didn't
Now I have to ask: what about animals? Is there ever a concern about animals eating poisonous plants? Do they naturally know better? Our property isn't fenced in, and the neighbor's dog sometimes crosses the treeline into our property. I would hate to plant something super pretty, only to harm their dog.
Adult dogs don't usually chew on plants. Puppies are another story, though. Poisonous plants are mostly a danger to grazing livestock. Goats and sheep will often eat plants like this and die from it