Ruschia maxima (100 seeds)

Ruschia maxima (100 seeds)

Family: Aizoaceae

Common names: giant mountain vygie

This large erect perennial shrub can spread more than 1 m. The branches are woody and tough with short internodes. It also has very large, opposite, three-sided leaves with a reddish tint on the leaf tips. Flowers are small with purple petals with a cone of stamens. When flowering, the plant is covered in sweet-scented flowers. Flowering can take place at any time of the year.

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: Sandberg. Harvest: March 2025