Thursday, August 23, 2012

Aloinopsis schooneesii: My, What a Lovely Caudex!





I love Aloinopsis, and schooneesii is my favorite. This caudiciform makes for a wonderful mini-bonsai. They are from South Africa, and A. schooneesii's leaves look like little greenish granite pebbles growing out of a tawny trunk, which is really its tap root.

They need somewhat deeper pots owing to the tap root, and can be raised up gradually as they grow, so the lovely caudex can be shown off to friends and family. I water mine weekly in summer and give them full sun in an east-facing window with good air circulation, about 75F for temperature.

I am growing several, and this one has the most  unique, swirly caudex of the bunch. They can grow to about 7cm in diameter, and I've seen some truly amazing older specimens win bonsai awards in my area. Beautiful and unique!

6 comments:

  1. Definitely one of my fav's - Aloinopsis. Lovely looking plant. Like the pot too! LT

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  2. What a great looking plant, and the leaves sure look special. How bizarre! :)

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  3. Thank you! They are bizarre and lovely!

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  4. Gorgeous, I didn't know you could grow these that way. Almost makes it look like a bonsai tree!

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  5. Hey Marla, I posted my Pleiospilos simulans babies now, just look under today's posts. Just to give you an idea for reference. Cheers LT.

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  6. Melody,
    They've become rather popular here for "mini bonsai"- it's easy to see why!

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