Setting up a garden with rare species of cacti and succulents is the desire of many people in love with these plants. But, before choosing which to cultivate? It is important to know a little more about the characteristics of plants.
After all, although cacti and succulents are easy to manage, need to offer them excellent growing conditions, with adequate soil, watering at the right times, and a certain amount of light. So, get some knowledge about 3 rarest succulents in the world.
Golden Ball
Known as the golden ball, Echinocactus grusonii is a species native to Mexico and threatened with extinction. It grows in the shape of a globe and, in some situations, can reach more than 1 meter in height. At the end of summer, this species of cactus may have yellowish flowers, but only on plants over 20 years old. For gardening, the golden ball is suitable for gardens with a dessert or Mexican inspiration, and it can be grown in large, shallow pots with pebbles.
Lithops
Lithops is a succulent plant with unusual stone shape. In nature, it uses its leaves as a way to camouflage itself and protect itself from predators. Even its name comes from this curiosity, because lithos, in Greek, means stone and optic, similar.
The succulent comes from the desert countries of Africa and draws attention due to its unusual shape. Its surface is quite rounded and flat, presenting varieties of coloring. Some specimens have streaks, warts, and transparent parts that help light enter the leaves, favoring photosynthesis. Cultivating Lithops is not a very easy task, and that is why it is considered a plant restricted to collectors only.
Titanopsis
Titanopsis is a tiny succulent – no more than 5 cm tall – but with a unique beauty and very popular with collectors thanks to its exotic morphology.
Like the previous one, it also comes from the African continent, where it grows in places with a substrate poor in organic matter. It is a resistant species to low temperatures (reaching tolerances of minus -8ºC).
Titanopsis has leaves with a very rustic character, with roughness in shape of warts on the edges of its leaves. It helps it to camouflage itself in the rocks present in its natural habitat.
To keep in the garden, this is a kind of difficult cultivation and is not suitable for beginners. It needs a lot of lighting, but without being in direct sunlight, and a cool climate (between 2 to 24ºC). The soil has to mix organic matter, and sand and watering should be done every 15 days in the summer and once a month in the winter.
One rare succulent – Pleiospilos
Pleiospilo nelii is a small succulent cultivated for its ornamental power. It is also native to southern Africa and tends to grow in wild regions with semi-shaded rocky terrain. Like Lithops, it has morphology reminiscent of rocks, but boasting beautiful and delicate flowers, about 3cm in diameter and appearing solitary in the central region of the plant.
Flowering starts in early summer and extends to the last days of autumn. This is a susceptible plant and susceptible to excess moisture. To grow it, choose places with direct sunlight in the morning and late afternoon, in a climate with temperatures between 15 and 26ºC and mineral and porous substrate (ensuring the smallest humidity that the plant needs to live).