Gasteria 'Flow'
Gasteria 'Flow is a cultivar name widely used in the succulent trade for a small, slow-growing, rosette-forming hybrid whose thick, dark green leaves are densely peppered with small, raised white tubercles that give them a rough, sandpaper-like texture. Despite the trade name, 'Flow' is generally treated as a bigeneric hybrid, ×Gasteraloe 'Flow', arising from a cross between Gasteria and an Aloe relative; its exact parentage is not reliably recorded. Its care follows that of both parent groups.
Description
'Flow' forms a compact rosette of stiff, triangular to tongue-shaped leaves that taper to a point; young plants may hold their leaves in a more two-ranked (distichous) arrangement before the rosette develops. Its most distinctive feature is the leaf surface: numerous small white tubercles are scattered densely over the dark green blades, raised enough to feel like sandpaper, and the leaf margins are often finely toothed. Plants stay small — roughly 20 cm (8 in) across — and clump slowly by producing offsets around the base.
Mature plants send up a slender flowering stem (raceme) carrying small, tubular, coral to orange flowers. The pronounced belly-like swelling that gives the genus Gasteria its name (Greek gaster, "stomach") is reduced or absent in 'Flow', reflecting its hybrid ancestry.
Cultivation
Grow 'Flow' as for gasterias and their hybrids — see Gasteria for full detail. In short, it wants a free-draining, mostly mineral mix, bright but indirect light, and cautious watering, with a thorough soak only once the soil has dried out; never leave water standing in the rosette. Like Gasteria, it tolerates more shade than many succulents and in fact prefers protection from harsh direct sun, which can scorch or bleach the leaves.
Feed sparingly during the growing season. Keep it drier and frost-free through winter; it is tender and is best protected from temperatures near or below freezing. See Repotting for potting-on technique.
Propagation
'Flow' is increased vegetatively, since as a hybrid it does not come true from seed. The usual routes are removing rooted offsets (pups) from around the base or taking leaf cuttings — see Propagation - cuttings. Gasterias and their hybrids root readily but slowly, so patience helps.
See also
- Gasteria — one of the parent genera
- Aloe — the other parent group
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Propagation - offsets · Propagation - cuttings · Repotting · Pests and diseases