Orbea VARIEGATA

Orbea VARIEGATA - Variegated Orbea, Variegated Stapelia, Carrion Flower, Starfish Flower, Stapelia.

Orbea is a genus of stem succulents in the Apocynaceae family, comprising about 56 species, approximately half of which grow in southern Africa. Previously, these plants were assigned to the family Asclepiadaceae, and many species to the genus Stapelia, which is why old names are still widely encountered in catalogs.

The plants are low, leafless, forming dense clumps of four-angled stems with large sharp teeth along the ribs. The leaves are reduced to scales. In the sun, the stems become covered with purplish-burgundy speckles on a green background. A whitish sticky sap appears when broken.

The flowers are solitary or gathered in clusters, from 1 to 10 cm (0.4 to 4 in) across, flat, star-shaped, with five lobes and a characteristic raised annulus (ring-disk) in the center. The coloration is variegated, from yellow to dark red and brown, the surface is wrinkled, often with hairs along the margin. The fruit is a paired horned follicle with numerous seeds equipped with fluffy tufts.

Orbea variegata is a species from the coastal strip of the Western Cape Province of South Africa, where it grows on stony-sandy screes, rocky cliffs, and in mountains, sometimes near rivers. The plant is low, 3-10 cm (1.2-4 in) high; shoots are green, often with a reddish tint, with obtuse angles and erect teeth.

The flowers are 1-5 at the base of young shoots, with a flat corolla 5-8 cm (2-3.1 in) across. The lobes are triangular-ovate, pointed, smooth and light yellow on the outside, yellow and rugose inside, with dark brown bands or longitudinal spots and fine transverse streaks between them. Flower shape and coloration vary greatly, which gave the species its name. Flowering occurs in summer.

Orbea seeds are flat, brown, with a large tuft of silvery-white down, maturing in paired horned follicles. Before sowing, the tufts must be removed, and the seeds themselves are disinfected by holding them briefly in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Scarification and stratification are not required.

A sowing substrate of peat and coarse sand in equal parts is thoroughly steamed before sowing. The seeds are distributed over the surface without covering, moistened from a spray bottle with a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon, covered with glass or placed in a propagator, and kept in a bright place at a temperature of 22-26 °C (72-79 °F).

Under favorable conditions, the first seedlings appear within 2-3 weeks, the bulk of germination extends over 1-3 months and noticeably depends on seed viability, while individual seeds may take longer. Sowings are regularly ventilated. Pricking out is carried out as soon as the stem begins to grow above the cotyledons, directly into individual small pots - the seedlings grow very quickly. In the first year, the root ball is not allowed to dry out completely, and plants bloom in the third or fourth year.

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The best location is a bright eastern-facing window. On a western window under hot afternoon sun, orbea easily gets scorched, and if stems begin to turn red or purple, the plant must be shaded: this indicates the breakdown of chlorophyll from overheating. In summer, the plant can be kept on a balcony, ensuring fresh air flow and protection from rain. Due to unilateral light, the stems lean toward the glass, so once a month the pot is turned 90 degrees, but not during bud development.

Winter is the most difficult period: due to lack of light, stems stretch out, thin, and pale, and supplementary lighting does not save the situation. The only solution is to halt growth by moving the plant to a cool, bright spot with a temperature of 10-15 °C (50-59 °F). Before moving to the cold, the root ball must be dried out. Orbeas have a similar forced dormancy in nature, except that it is caused not by cold, but by summer heat up to 45 °C (113 °F).

Watering is infrequent but thorough, only after the substrate has completely dried out. In winter, it is watered about once a month, but watering must not be stopped completely: roots will die back, the plant will look normal for some time, but after the first spring watering, the root remnants will rot and it will perish. Dry air is not hazardous to orbea; it is misted occasionally, once or twice a week, for cleanliness and prevention of spider mites, avoiding water contact with open flowers.

The substrate needs to be loose, low-fertility, permeable to water and air: usually equal parts of turf soil, peat, and coarse sand are taken, and for young plants the proportion of sand is increased 1.5-2 times. Soil from recently fertilized garden beds should not be used. These desert plants cannot tolerate stagnant water, so a drainage hole and a high drainage layer are mandatory, and it is better to choose an unglazed ceramic pot - roots can breathe additionally through the porous walls.

Fertilizing is applied only during active growth, using fertilizer for cacti and succulents, and is not used during the dormancy period.

Repotting is carried out as the clump expands; there is no need to rush: orbea blooms more willingly in a tight pot. In addition to seeds, it is very easily propagated by cuttings: a broken-off shoot is dried and rooted in coarse sand, and it may bloom as early as the first year.