Faucaria FELINA

Faucaria FELINA - Feline faucaria, Faucaria felina, Tiger Jaws, Cat Jaws.

Faucaria is a small genus of dwarf succulents in the ice plant family (Aizoaceae). All species grow in South Africa, predominantly in the Eastern Cape province, on rocky plains and gravelly slopes in the summer-rainfall region.

The plants are virtually stemless, forming compact clumps of dense rosettes. The leaves are fleshy, thick, boat-shaped or triangular, arranged in opposite decussate pairs, dark green or gray-green, often with white dots and translucent speckles.

The main hallmark of the genus is teeth along the leaf margins: soft, curved inward, they make an open pair of leaves resemble an agape jaw with teeth. Hence both the Latin name and the English common name "tiger jaws". The daisy-like flowers are large for the size of the plant, yellow or orange, rarely white, opening in late autumn and winter in the afternoon.

Feline faucaria is the type species of the genus and the best known in cultivation. It forms compact clumps of thick fleshy boat-shaped leaves arranged in opposite pairs.

The leaves are dark green or gray-green, smooth or with white dots and translucent speckles, bearing soft inwardly curved teeth along the margins. The daisy-like flowers are yellow to orange, occasionally white, up to 5 cm (2 in) across, opening in late autumn and winter.

Faucaria seeds are very small, dark, ripening in dry capsules that open with moisture. Soaking such tiny seeds is impractical, so the substrate itself is sanitized: before sowing, it is drenched with a weak potassium permanganate solution and allowed to dry slightly. Scarification and stratification are not required.

Sowing is done superficially, without covering, on a sterile fine-grained mineral substrate topped with a layer of washed sand. The sowing is moistened from a spray bottle with a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon, covered with a transparent lid or placed in a greenhouse, and germinated under bright diffused light at a temperature of 18-24 °C (64-75 °F), avoiding overheating in direct sun.

Under favorable conditions, the first seedlings appear within a week, main germination is completed in 2-3 weeks, and individual seeds may delay up to 4-6 weeks. Sowing containers are ventilated daily and condensation is removed: stagnant moisture is especially hazardous for aizoon seedlings and quickly causes fungal damage. Pricking out is performed only after plants have noticeably strengthened, with minimal disturbance to the roots.

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The plant requires the brightest possible spot with bright diffused light and several hours of direct sunlight. Both the density of the clump and whether the flowers open depend directly on illumination.

Keep warm in summer, cool and dry in winter. A cool overwintering is necessary for flower bud initiation, whereas in warmth and dampness the shoots stretch out and easily rot.

Watering is careful, in small amounts, only after the substrate has completely dried out. In winter, watering is sharply reduced. Water stagnation in the tray is unacceptable.

The substrate should be very loose, poor, and mineral, with a high proportion of coarse sand, fine grit, and perlite. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot, and the container must have drainage holes.

Fertilizer is applied infrequently, only during active growth, using a weak solution of cactus and succulent fertilizer low in nitrogen. Excess nutrition produces loose, watery growth.

Repotting is carried out at the beginning of the growth period, after which the plant is kept without water for several days. Only completely dried remnants of old leaves are removed.