Aloinopsis rosulata.
Family: Aizoaceae
Common names: Mimic Wartfig
It is a low growing succulent plant with a rosette of thick leathery, spathulate (pug-like) leaves arising from a thick tap root up to 4 cm in diameter, the whole plant will only rice to 10 cm across. It is a wintergrower, and produces pale pink flowers sporting red midline stripes.
Sowing instructions: The small seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sand, any time during the summer months when temperatures are warm. Cover the seeds with a very fine layer of grit and water from below with a fungicide to prevent damping off. For the first 3-4 days cover the pots with a sheet of glass/clear Perspex to keep the humidity levels high. Remove the glass and replace it with light shade cloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated. From then on misting can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow.
Locality: Beaufort West. Harvest: February 2024