Drosanthemum lique (100 seeds)

Drosanthemum lique (100 seeds)

Family: Aizoaceae

Common names: Mound Dew fig

The opposite, stalkless leaves of Drosanthemum lique are barrel-shaped to cylindrical, pale or dull green to yellowish green and rough-surfaced from a dense covering of minute, darker green bulges. The leaves, well rounded at base and tip, become up to 1 cm long. The pale to dark pinkish purple flowers often grow solitary, but several may sometimes be found near a stem tip. The small and narrow petals spread widely, a purplish cone of stamens and probably staminodes erect in the flower centre.

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: Ladysmith. Harvest: April 2025