Aisoonic family. Homeland South Africa. In nature, these are 36 species of leaf succulents growing in groups in arid areas. All of them have a shortened stem, short fleshy roots, about 3 pairs of thick juicy leaves, usually arranged crosswise. They have either tubercles or long hairy teeth along the edge of the leaf. They bloom with rather large flowers of various shades of yellow.
- Faucaria tiger faucaria tigrina - has ovate-rhombic leaves, up to 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, trihedral at the end. The leaves are gray-green in color with small white spots forming stripes. On the leaf there are 9-10 pairs of hairy teeth bent back. The flowers are golden, up to 5 cm in diameter.
- Faucaria wolf faucaria lupina - has lanceolate leaves, about 4-5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, trihedral at the end. The leaves on the upper side are bright green, rough, with 3-5 pairs of hairy teeth bent back. The flowers are yellow, about 3 cm in diameter, and appear from mid-summer.
- Faucaria tuberculosa - has rhombic or triangular leaves, up to 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. The leaves are dark green, with serrated tubercles along the margin. The flowers are yellow, about 4 cm in diameter.
Caring for Faucaria
Temperature: moderate, on average 22-24 ° C during the day, 18-20 ° C at night. In summer, it is better to keep outdoors, accustomed to the sun gradually. In winter, the rest period is at a temperature of 5-6 ° C, not less than 4 ° C, not higher than 10 ° C, with dry content.
Lighting: Full solar lighting all the time. On windows of northern orientation it will be too dark, especially from the second half of summer, but with proper additional light (LED, fluorescent lamps at a distance of 10 cm from the leaves) plants will develop normally.
Watering: moderate during growing season. Watered very carefully, the roots quickly rot from excess water. In autumn, the dormant period begins, while the leaves shrivel and, as it were, dry out. During the rest period, watering is stopped altogether.
Top dressing: only if the plant was not transplanted, from March to July. Fertilizer is taken in a dose two times less, recommended by the manufacturer, and applied with water for watering 1 once a month.
Air humidity: Faukaria tolerates dry air well, in winter during the rest period it is kept in cool conditions with minimal air humidity.
Transplantation: faucaria usually after 2 years, young plants from seeds annually. The planting pots should be wide and not deep, with a high drainage layer. Soil ^ 1 part of sod soil, 1 part of leaf soil, 1 part of fine gravel. You can use a purchased soil mixture for succulent plants. After transplantation, in order to avoid rot, the roots are watered only after 2 weeks .
Reproduction: seeds in early spring or dried cuttings in summer. Seeds are sown in spring, in a mixture of coarse sand and peat sifted from dust, in equal shares (you can use the universal soil mixture "Terra Vita" or "Violet." The seeds are small, so they are not sprinkled with earth, but a little tap on the plate and they sink slightly into the soil. The soil is kept constantly slightly moist, preventing the appearance of "greenery" (green algae appear from high humidity) and regularly ventilated (2-3 times a day for half an hour). If the soil dries out for too long, the seedlings freeze in growth for a long time, so they maintain evenly wet soil, allowing it to dry out for no more than a few hours.