Pleiospilos nelii is the popular split rock plant, looking
like a piece of greenish speckled rock, and with a perfectly straight
cleft right down the middle.
Description: Small clump forming, stemless,
leaf succulent nearly spherical vaguely reminding for a Lithops.
Body: The body of the plant consists of a pair of globe shaped
leaves, fused at the base that naturally sit above the surface of the
soil and can grow to about 10cm across. Mostly there will just be one
head, but very old plants will form two and eventually more heads. The
leaves are usually grey green to brownish in colour with many
conspicuous raised dark dots scattered over the whole surface. Leaves
will reach up to 5 cm long and wide. The plant produces a new pair of
leaves from within the old one each year, much the same as Lithops and
Flowers: Large daisy-like, fragrant whit a distinct smell of
coconut.. Considering the size of the plant they are extremely large (up
to 7.5 cm across), and have a great many petals and they are
yellow to coppery-orange, seldom white or pinkish, in colour with a
paler throat. They are solitary or in clusters borne on short pedicels.
Blooming season: Usually flowers in early spring after the winter
dormancy period, although some plants can flower in autumn like a
Lithops, depending on how they are grown. The blooms open in
mid-afternoon and close just after sunset.
Family: Mesebrianthemaceae (Aizoaceae)
South Africa ( Little Karoo on the border of the Eastern and Western
Cape to the southern-parts of the Great Karoo in the Northern Cape)
Habitat: Plants occur in shale or sandstone areas in areas
where light is usually bright and unpolluted. The annual rainfall for
the distribution area for these plants is between 150mm and 300mm.
Vernacular Names: Split Rock Plant, Liver plant, Stone
Etymology: The genus name is derived from the greek words
pleios (full) and spilos (dots), which
refers to the many dots on the plants.
- Pleiospilos pedunculata
- Pleiospilos tricolor
Just so everyone knows, these plants are
suppose to have one or two pair of leaves. Each year the old pair is
consumed by the new leaf pair. If you water during the regeneration,
then the plant may keep the old pair. Warmth is also a factor for a
complete cycle for the regeneration to occur at the proper time. The
cycle is just like Lithops.
Sometimes Pleiospilos will even be labelled as a Lithops, but it isn't
the same. There are three immediate visual differences: P. nelii does
not grow buried to its neck in the ground; it is bigger than any Lithops
and will produce multiple flowers at once, something that Lithops never
are very easy to grow and very cute when in flower.
Cultivation: Pleiospilos nelii is a very
adaptable plant, it will grow whenever it has water and good sunlight,
but it will become dormant in very hot weather to conserve water. It
need full sun to light shade with a very open compost that drains
quickly. The container should be at least 10 cm deep to accommodate the
long tap root. Very little water is needed during the growing season,
and we do not fertilize the plants. In late summer to early fall before
nighttime temperatures fall, watering of the plants is stepped up to
once a week. When the nighttime temperatures drop to 9°C, watering is
restricted throughout the winter months. In the winter, it grows new
leaves from the center of the split, and the new leaves then consume the
old leaves. If the plant is over watered, the old leaves remain and the
plant usually rots and dies. Not to water it when it is splitting, just
leave it alone. Even with no watering the leaves don't shrink and prune
up like some succulents do when they are not watered they stays plump
even after several months with no water. For an idea of how succulent
these plants are, a mature specimen can easily go a whole year without
any water in a typical European or North American climate. If the plants
are grown correctly, ideally there should only ever be 2 pairs of
leaves. The lower ones are the previous years, and the top ones, the
current years. One sign of good care is a firm, round, symmetrical plant
with no old leaves still attached at the end of summer. The plants are
hardy down to -5°C.
Propagation: Seeds or by division in early spring before new
growth starts. One should not divide clumps too often because they bloom
best when crowded.