Small, brown, boomerang shaped leaves

by katie
(Cambridge, MA)

higher

I found these in the lithop section of a garden store. I've had them for a few weeks and have no idea what they are. Not sure if these are the same species or not. The 'higher' file shows the plant being taller than the plant in the 'closer to the ground' photo. Any information on these would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, aren't those adorable? They look like little feet.

I have never seen these, but obviously they are related to Lithops or at least fill the same niche in their habitat. Let me check a couple of places, and hopefully get some information for you.

Hang tight!
Jacki

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Jul 03, 2013

I'm back with lots of info...
by: Jacki

Thanks for bearing with me; I contacted someone who actually grows these little guys, as well as other Pebble Plants and similar types;

She says:

"I'm happy to identify the plant in your picture as a little mesemb from southern Africa. This one is Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri. Nice little succulent, fairly easy to grow on a windowsill, a bit prone to mealies from my experience. In stressful conditions this plant will pull itself down into the soil using contractile roots in order to protect itself from excessive sun exposure and further water loss. When life is good it plumps up again. Flowers are yellow for the most part. A mature plant makes a nice little mound mound. Watering can be a bit tricky and the roots are prone to rot. There are three other types T. fulleri, T. calcarea and T. primosii. "

The part about the specialized roots is really interesting. She also included a link that tells even more about them here: Cacti Guide plant of the week and was kind enough to send a picture from her own collection here:

Ronaeles picture of Titanopsis hugo-schlecteri...

Jul 03, 2013

Thanks!
by: Katie

Thanks for finding this out for me! Hopefully I can get these guys to flower.

It seems to be a function of a long drought, then copious watering, but you'll have to do more research on the timing - that link to the Cacti forum (where it says Plant of the Week) has more.

Best of luck!
Jacki

Jul 04, 2013

Proudly South African
by: Jacky Grundling

I have a Mesemb Titanopsis calcarea, now flowering in my collection. I have a beautiful photograph but not sure how to load it

Jul 05, 2013

Titanopsis
by: Jacki

Jackie has posted some pictures of a similar plant here; Proudly South African.

May 19, 2016

Thank you for ID help!
by: Elena

I have been searching for an ID for my little succulent for a while and this has finally helped me figure it out. I have bought this type of succulent twice from a little town market, the first time the poor thing rotted and died with seemingly no way for me to save it. My second one is faring much better and is currently flowering! I'm very excited to see the full bloom.

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Reptilian mystery succulent

by Joey O.
(Newberg, OR, USA)

Purple-ish/grey succulent, grows in single rosette looks like dragon tongues or little callused paws or something

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Oct 11, 2017

What a cutie!
by: Jacki

This is Titanopsis. There's more here, with some more pictures of the same plant; Small Brown Boomerang Shaped Leaves.

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