Caralluma Hexagona

Family

Asclepiadaceae

Native

Saudi Arabia, Yemen & Oman

Description

Caralluma hexagona is an upright or ascending, strongly branching, succulent. It forms dense mats or clumps to 20 cm tall, with subterranean runners. Grey-green or green, 3 - 5 cm long, 1.5 - 2 cm thick, bluntly 4-ribbed stems are present. Sepals finely dotted with red, 1-3 long, about 1 mm wide, deltoid or linear, acute. Corolla outside greenish-white, densely dotted with red, dots small, convex, inside greenish or cream-coloured, densely dotted with purplish-red, 2.2 cm in diameter, flat or campanulate. Corolla-tube, 4 x 6 mm long, enclosing or just basally encircling the corona. Corolla-lobes triangular, 8 mm long, margins slightly revolute, inside tuberculate, lobes apically hairy, hairs dark purple, seed 2 mm, simple, compressed, vibratile. Corona 6 mm in diameter.

Environment

Caralluma are relatively easy to grow. They should be treated as an outdoor plant as they will easily rot indoors and cannot flower without exposure to outdoor temperature fluctuations. They should be grown under cover so that watering can be controlled. The plant require ample amount of sunlight to promote flowering and maintain a well-shaped plant. Very shady positions will produce very poor flowering. Caralluma plants can survive high temperature in summer months so most growth is in spring and autumn, with flowering in autumn when the weather starts to cool down. They all need good drainage.

Landscape Uses

Makes an attractive landscape plant and or container patio plant where some height is needed, being an attractive accent plant, Suited for window sill.