Conophytum ficiforme
| Light | Bright light with some shade from harsh summer sun; ample light in the growing season keeps bodies compact |
|---|---|
| Water | Seasonally: water in autumn through spring, keep dry during summer dormancy |
| Soil | Fast-draining mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Frost-free; keep cool and dry in summer; USDA zones 10–11 |
| Propagation | Division of clumps; seed |
| Toxicity | Generally regarded as non-toxic to cats and dogs |
Conophytum ficiforme is a small, bilobed "cono" from the winter-rainfall regions of South Africa, prized for its neatly patterned tops and its pink, night-scented flowers. Each plant body is a soft, fig-shaped pair of fused leaves marked on the upper surface with fine reddish lines and dots, and the species clumps readily in cultivation to form tidy mats of many heads. It belongs to the genus Conophytum, a group of dwarf, highly seasonal members of the ice plant family Aizoaceae.
Description
Conophytum ficiforme forms compact clumps of small, bilobed bodies, each body consisting of two fused, fleshy leaves joined for most of their length and separated at the top by a shallow fissure. The tops are somewhat flattened to gently rounded and carry a characteristic pattern of fine dark-red to purplish lines and speckles over a green to grey-green surface — the marking that makes this one of the more easily recognised patterned conos.
As with all Conophytum, the visible body is essentially a single leaf-pair per shoot. Each year the old body dries to a papery sheath and a fresh body emerges from within it. Flowers appear in autumn, opening in the late afternoon and evening: they are pink to magenta and pleasantly night-scented, a sign of moth pollination in habitat.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to the Western Cape of South Africa, in a winter-rainfall climate where growth happens through the cooler, moister months and the plants rest through a hot, dry summer. In habitat the little bodies nestle among rocks and gritty soils, often shaded by surrounding vegetation or wedged into crevices where they receive some protection from the fiercest sun.
Understanding this seasonal, winter-growing rhythm is the single most important thing for growing the plant well — it flips the watering calendar of most other succulents on its head.
Cultivation
Conophytum ficiforme is one of the more forgiving conos and a good introduction to the genus. Grow it in a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix in a shallow pot, in bright light with a little shade from the harshest summer sun. The key to success is respecting its seasons: begin watering as the weather cools in late summer or early autumn, keep it in gentle growth and flower through autumn and winter, ease off in spring, and then keep it dry through its summer dormancy.
During summer rest the old bodies shrivel to papery skins around the new growth — this is completely normal and should not be corrected by watering. A little airflow and near-total dryness in summer prevents rot. See Watering and Repotting for general technique; repot, if needed, at the start of the growing season.
Propagation
Because the species clumps so freely, division is the easiest method: lift an established clump at the start of the growing season and tease it into smaller groups of heads, each with some root, then pot up and begin light watering once any cuts have dried. See Propagation — offsets and Propagation — cuttings for handling.
Seed is also straightforward and the usual route for producing many plants or new patterns. Sow onto a mineral surface in autumn as temperatures drop, keep humid and cool, and grow the tiny seedlings on gently through their first winter. See Propagation — seed for a full walkthrough.
Common problems
- Rot — the commonest cause of loss, usually from watering during summer dormancy or from a mix that holds too much moisture; bodies go soft and translucent.
- Failure to sheath properly — over-watering late in the season can leave old skins wet and mushy rather than papery, inviting fungal problems.
- Etiolation — too little light makes the bodies stretch and lose their neat shape and crisp patterning.
- Pests — mealybugs (white fluff between the bodies and at the roots) and the occasional sciarid or mite problem under damp, still conditions.
See also
- Conophytum — the genus overview
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting
- Propagation — seed · Propagation — offsets · Propagation — cuttings