Grahamia COAHUILENSE

Grahamia COAHUILENSE - Coahuila grahamia, Grahamia coahuilense, Anacampseros COAHUILENSIS.

Grahamia is a small genus of succulent perennials in the family Anacampserotaceae, comprising several species. The plants originate from arid regions of North and South America, as well as Australia, where they inhabit deserts and dry shrublands.

Representatives of the genus are low-growing succulent subshrubs with slender cylindrical stems and fleshy leaves gathered in loose rosettes. The main difference of the genus from related Anacampseros species is the tuberous thickened root, which serves as a storage organ during drought.

Flowers are large relative to the size of the plant, in bright pink or purple shades, opening during the warm season. The fruit is a dry capsule with small dark seeds.

Coahuila grahamia is a species originating from northeastern Mexico, from the Chihuahuan Desert: it occurs in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosi. A compact plant about 10 cm (4 in) tall with a tuberous root and a small caudex from which slender cylindrical stems rise, bearing succulent fleshy leaves gathered in a rosette.

Flowering occurs in summer. The flowers are pink, up to 4 cm (1.6 in) across, and often look larger than the plant itself. The plant tolerates a brief drop in temperature down to -5 °C (23 °F) without damage.

Grahamia seeds are small, dark, and ripen in dry capsules. Soaking such small seeds is impractical, so the substrate itself is disinfected: before sowing, it is drenched with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dried slightly. Scarification and stratification are not required.

Seeds are sown on the surface without covering, onto a thin layer of moist sand. The sowing is moistened from a spray bottle with a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminosol, Epin, or Zircon, covered with glass or placed in a propagator, and germinated at a temperature of 20-24 °C (68-75 °F).

Under favorable conditions, the first sprouts appear within 1-2 weeks; main germination is usually completed within a month, while individual seeds may take longer. Sowings are continuously misted and regularly ventilated. Pricking out is performed after the seedlings have strengthened noticeably, into individual small pots.

© Greeniverse. All rights reserved.

The plant needs bright lighting throughout the year. With insufficient light, the stems stretch and flowering ceases.

In winter, the holding temperature is around 15 °C (59 °F); with completely dry substrate, the plant also tolerates a brief drop down to -5 °C (23 °F).

Watering is limited, only after the substrate has completely dried out. In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum - under cool conditions, excess moisture quickly leads to rot of the tuberous root.

The substrate must be mineral, loose, and well-drained: prepared cactus soil with the addition of coarse sand and perlite. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot, and the container is selected sufficiently deep for the tuberous root.

Fertilization is carried out very moderately during the active growth period, using heavily diluted fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

Repotting is performed as the pot is outgrown, handling the fragile tuber with care, and with a drying period before the first watering.