Tylecodon reticulatus
| Light | Bright light; full sun with good airflow |
|---|---|
| Water | Winter-grower: water in the cooler months, keep dry through summer dormancy |
| Soil | Very gritty, fast-draining mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Frost-tender; keep above freezing, USDA zones 9b–11 |
| Propagation | Seed; cuttings possible but slow (see below) |
| Toxicity | Toxic — contains bufadienolides; keep away from pets and livestock |
Tylecodon reticulatus is a dwarf, caudiciform succulent from the winter-rainfall regions of South Africa and Namibia, grown above all for the curious "birds-nest" of dried flower stalks that crowns it. After each flowering the wiry, branched inflorescences dry to a stiff, persistent tangle that sits atop the swollen stem for years, giving the plant its distinctive netted or lattice-like head — the source of the species name reticulatus ("netted"). It belongs to the genus Tylecodon, a group of deciduous, winter-growing relatives of Cotyledon.
Description
Tylecodon reticulatus is a small, slow plant, usually only 10–20 cm tall, built around a thick, pale, water-storing stem or caudex that branches into a few stubby twigs. The bark is smooth and greyish, often with a papery, peeling surface typical of the genus.
Like all Tylecodon, it is drought-deciduous: small, fleshy, cylindrical leaves appear in the cool growing season and are shed as the plant goes dormant in the heat of summer. The greenish-yellow, tubular flowers are carried on slender, much-branched stalks in the growing season. What makes the species instantly recognisable is what happens next — rather than falling away, the dried inflorescences harden and persist, accumulating into a dense, netted crown of woody stalks above the stem. This lattice is thought to help shade the plant and may deter grazing.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to the arid west of southern Africa, across the Northern and Western Cape of South Africa and into southern Namibia, in regions that receive their rain mainly in winter. It grows in open, rocky, well-drained ground in Succulent Karoo and Namaqualand-type habitats, enduring hot, bone-dry summers and cool, damp winters. The persistent stalk-crown is very much an adaptation to this exposed, sun-baked environment.
Cultivation
The single most important thing to understand about Tylecodon reticulatus is that it is a winter grower: it wakes up and puts out leaves as temperatures cool and goes dormant in summer, the reverse of most common houseplants. Match your watering to that rhythm — water while it is in leaf and actively growing in the cooler months, and keep it dry, or nearly so, through its summer rest. Water given during dormancy is the usual cause of rot.
Grow it in a very gritty, mostly mineral mix in a pot with excellent drainage, and give it bright light — this is a full-sun plant, and shade produces weak, etiolated growth. Good airflow helps keep the caudex firm and healthy. It is frost-tender and should be kept above freezing. Being naturally slow and small, it makes an excellent, characterful container plant. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
Seed is the most reliable method: sow in the cool season onto a gritty, mineral surface and keep lightly moist until germination. Cuttings of the stubby branches can be taken but root slowly and are less dependable, so most growers raise plants from seed. See Propagation — seed and Propagation — cuttings for full walkthroughs.
Common problems
- Rot — the classic killer, almost always from watering during summer dormancy or from a mix that holds too much moisture; the caudex softens and discolours.
- Etiolation — too little light stretches the stem and produces pale, weak growth, spoiling the compact form.
- Out-of-sync watering — treating it like a summer grower leaves it stressed and rot-prone; learn its winter-growing cycle and follow the leaves.
- Pests — mealybugs can lodge in the leaf axils and around the root crown; watch for white fluff.
Toxicity
Tylecodon species contain bufadienolide compounds (notably cotyledoside) that are toxic if eaten, and in grazing regions related plants are a known cause of livestock poisoning ("krimpsiekte"). Treat the plant as toxic and keep it away from pets, livestock and children. See also Pests and diseases for general plant-health guidance.
See also
- Tylecodon — the genus overview
- Cotyledon — a closely related genus
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Propagation — seed · Propagation — cuttings