Fockea crispa
| Light | Bright light; the leafy stems take near-full sun, but shade the exposed caudex from the fiercest summer heat, as it can scorch |
|---|---|
| Water | Moderate while in leaf; keep dry during the leafless dormancy |
| Soil | Very free-draining mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix); often grown with the caudex raised |
| Temperature | Keep above freezing; frost-tender, roughly USDA zones 9b–11 |
| Propagation | Seed (needs both a male and female plant to set seed); cuttings possible but slow to caudex |
| Toxicity | Milky sap; best kept away from pets and treated as mildly toxic |
Fockea crispa is a caudiciform succulent from the Western Cape of South Africa, prized by collectors for its knobby, pale grey caudex and its distinctive small leaves with strongly wavy, crisped margins. It is one of the most sought-after members of the genus Fockea, and is famous for a single potted specimen growing in Vienna that is often cited as one of the oldest surviving glasshouse plants in the world.
Description
Fockea crispa is a slow-growing, deciduous succulent that stores water in a large swollen caudex. In habitat much of this caudex sits below ground, but in cultivation it is usually lifted above the soil to show off its rugged, warty, grey-brown surface. From the top of the caudex the plant sends up thin, twining or sprawling stems that carry the leaves during the growing season.
The leaves are the plant's signature feature: small, firm and glossy, with margins that are noticeably undulate and curled — the "crisped" look that gives the species its name. Small greenish, star-shaped flowers appear on the stems in the warmer months; like other members of the Apocynaceae (the dogbane and milkweed family), they carry the family's typical five-lobed, sweetly scented blooms. The plant is dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female, so seed is only produced when both are grown together.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to the Western Cape of South Africa, where it is endemic to the semi-arid Klein (Little) Karoo, growing among rocks on dry, stony slopes. It is a summer-grower: the seasonal stems and leaves emerge in the warm months, while the plant is deciduous and dormant in winter. In the wild the caudex is largely buried, protected from sun and browsing animals, with only the stems and leaves showing. Plants endure long dry periods by dropping their leaves and resting on the water reserves stored in the caudex.
Although assessed as Least Concern in the wild, Fockea crispa is an indigenous South African plant, and collecting or exporting wild specimens is regulated under provincial conservation law; nursery-grown, seed-raised plants are the proper source for collectors.
Cultivation
Fockea crispa is a rewarding caudex plant for the patient grower. Plant it in a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix and give it bright light — good light keeps the leaves compact and the crisping pronounced, while too little light produces lank, over-long stems. The exposed caudex, however, can scorch pink or orange in the harshest summer sun and appreciates a little shade then. Many growers gradually raise the caudex above the soil line over successive repottings to display it, though leaving it buried tends to encourage faster growth.
Water moderately through the active growing season, always letting the mix dry well between drinks, and taper off as the plant begins to drop its leaves. Through the leafless dormancy keep it dry and frost-free; the fat caudex is very prone to rot if kept wet and cold. See Watering for general technique.
Propagation
Seed is the classic method, but because plants are either male or female you need both sexes flowering together (and usually some hand-pollination) to obtain viable seed. Seedlings naturally build a caudex from an early age. Stem cuttings can be rooted, but cutting-grown plants are slow and reluctant to form the characteristic swollen base, so seed-raised plants are generally preferred. See Propagation — seed and Propagation — cuttings for details.
Common problems
- Caudex rot — the usual cause of loss, from watering during dormancy or from a mix that holds moisture; the caudex softens and discolours.
- Etiolation — weak light produces long, thin, sparsely leaved stems and reduces the crisped leaf character.
- Pests — mealybugs can hide in the leaf axils and around the caudex; watch also for the sap-sucking pests covered under Pests and diseases.
See also
- Fockea — the genus overview
- Apocynaceae — the family
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Propagation — seed · Propagation — cuttings · Pests and diseases