Tylecodon RETICULATUS

Tylecodon RETICULATUS - Thorny butterbush, Reticulate tylecodon, Tylecodon reticulatus, Cotyledon RETICULATA.

Tylecodon is a genus of succulent dwarf shrubs in the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae), comprising about forty-six species. All of them originate from arid regions of southern Africa - Namibia, Namaqualand, the Little and Great Karoo, where they grow on rocky slopes, rock crevices, and gravel plains.

Most species are low-growing dwarf shrubs with thick fleshy stems covered with light brown or gray bark that cracks and peels in strips. In many species, a woody caudex forms. Leaves are simple, green or with a bluish waxy coating, clustered at shoot apexes; in shape they can be rounded in cross-section, elliptic, cylindrical, or spoon-shaped, pubescent in some species. In summer, during the dormant period, leaves drop.

The flowers are campanulate, up to 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in diameter, pink, greenish, or yellow-brown, gathered in paniculate inflorescences on slender leafless peduncles. Flowering often occurs when the plant has already shed its leaves. The fruit is a follicle with very small, almost dust-like seeds.

Tylecodon reticulatus is a species originating from Namibia and southern Africa - Namaqualand, the Little Karoo, and southern parts of the Cape Province, where it grows on rocky soils. A squat dwarf shrub usually up to 30 cm (11.8 in) in height, with a thick short trunk up to 6-7 cm (2.4-2.8 in) across and a woody caudex at the base. The bark is light brown, peeling in narrow strips. Leaves are fleshy, glabrous, oval-cylindrical, about 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long, gathered in clusters at the ends of short shoots and dropping during dormancy.

The flowers are erect, yellow-green with brownish-red stripes; the plant blooms profusely. The most notable feature of the species appears after flowering: dried peduncles do not drop, but persist on the plant for years, forming a dense lacy mesh above the crown.

Tylecodon seeds are very small, almost dust-like, ripening in dry follicles. Soaking such seeds is impractical - they easily get lost in liquid and damaged, so the substrate itself is disinfected: before sowing, it is drenched with a weak potassium permanganate solution and dried. Scarification and stratification are not required.

Sowing is carried out on the surface; seeds are hardly buried or only lightly sprinkled with fine clean sand. A mixture of 1 part leaf soil or peat substrate and half a part coarse sand is used, with possible additions of vermiculite and bits of charcoal. The sowing is moistened with a spray bottle using a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon, covered with plastic wrap or placed in a propagator, and germinated in the light, but not in direct sun, at a temperature of 18-23 °C (64-73 °F) with daily ventilation.

Under successful sowing, initial sprouts emerge very quickly, in as little as 3-5 days; main germination is usually completed within 2 weeks, while individual seeds may delay longer. Subsequent care comes down to careful misting and ventilation. Grown seedlings are pricked out into shallow dishes or individual pots at a distance of about 1 cm (0.4 in) apart. They grow slowly and are very sensitive to both overwatering and drying out.

Special notes: Seeds are very (!) small, like dust.

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Tylecodon requires the brightest possible light. A peculiarity of the species is that the growth period occurs in autumn and winter, while the plant rests in summer, so in winter it needs strong supplemental lighting - without it, shoots stretch and the plant loses its form.

During the growth period, temperature is maintained at 25-30 °C (77-86 °F); a drop below 10-13 °C (50-55 °F) is undesirable. In summer, during the dormant period, the plant tolerates typical room temperature of 19-35 °C (66-95 °F) well in a dry, well-ventilated room. Fresh air is essential for the plant.

Watering is moderate throughout the year; after leaf drop it is noticeably reduced. Misting is not required. Tylecodon grows slowly and is very sensitive to overwatering.

The plant is unpretentious regarding soil type; in nature it occurs both in rock crevices and on coastal sands. A substrate of sod and leaf soil with coarse sand, added charcoal, and limestone grit is optimal, with a mandatory drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. Repotting is carried out in spring and only when strictly necessary - the plant takes a long time to establish, so growers avoid disturbing it for as long as possible.

Feeding is carried out during the growth period once every 2 weeks with a fertilizer for cacti and succulents. During the summer dormant period, fertilizers are not applied.