Conophytum TRIEBNERI

Conophytum TRIEBNERI - Triebner's Conophytum, Triebner's Ophthalmophyllum, Ophthalmophyllum.

Seed series "Living Stones".

Conophytum is the most species-rich genus of leaf succulents in the ice plant family (Aizoaceae), growing in the deserts of South Africa. The name comes from the Latin 'conus' - "cone" and the Greek 'phyton' - "plant". Some of these plants are solitary, others form groups; individual species are very difficult to cultivate, while some present no problems. Plants of all species are very similar to each other and easily recognized as related.

Each plant consists of a pair of rounded fused leaves forming a heart-shaped, obconical, or spherical body. A very short stem is located underground. The size of the plants varies from a few millimeters to 5-10 cm (2.0-3.9 in). Conophytums form dense clusters of numerous shoots, each of which is surrounded on all sides, except the top, by its neighbours. In the arid period, the epidermis on the leaf surface dies off and turns into a thin dry sheath that reliably protects the plants from the sun, moisture evaporation, and herbivores.

Gradually, water from the drying leaves is redistributed into a new pair that grows under this sheath. With the start of the wet season, the new leaves rupture it and begin to grow rapidly. During the wet season, other desert plants also vegetate, so animals pay less attention to the small "stones". And yet, since there are few other plants in especially arid areas, they have to "camouflage" to match the colour of the soil - becoming similar, for example, to limestone, granite, or white quartz.

Leaf colour ranges from light green to brown. In many species, the leaves are covered with green speckles. Leaves are fenestrated and translucent. Flowers are white, yellow, lilac, red, or orange.

The miniature sizes (from 0.6 to 5 cm (0.2 to 2.0 in)) of these plants allow creating an interesting collection of several dozen species in the home. All this makes collecting "living stones" an unusually fascinating activity.

Triebner's conophytum is a dwarf perennial succulent up to 4 cm (1.6 in) tall, often forming rather large mats or dome-shaped small clumps. Some specimens are very attractively coloured.

Before sowing, seeds are soaked for 5-6 hours in warm water or a weak potassium permanganate solution, the planting container is sterilized for 24 hours in a saturated solution, and the potting mix is scalded with boiling water or baked in the oven. They are then sown in a shallow dish with a mixture of 1 part leaf mold and 2 parts coarse sand and perlite at intervals of 2-3 mm (0.08-0.12 in), slightly pressed in and covered with a thin layer of sand no more than 1 mm (0.04 in). Moisten from a spray bottle, cover with film, and germinate in light, but not under direct sunlight, at a temperature of 17-20 °C (63-68 °F). Seedlings need ventilation and watering. Moistening continues to be done with a spray bottle. It is necessary to avoid waterlogging and complete drying out of the sowings. To avoid long retention of condensation, the container is ventilated 1-2 times a day for 10-15 minutes. Seedlings appear in 7-10 days.

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Conophytums are relatively easy to grow. They grow during the winter rain season and remain dormant in summer. They are cultivated the same way as lithops.

The growth period in the Northern Hemisphere is from September to March. During this time, a small amount of water is required for watering; otherwise, damage to the epidermis will occur (leading to unsightly scars). Minimal watering in summer (only light spraying if the plant begins to dry out), but if they receive enough moisture, growth can continue even in summer. Water regularly in winter after the previous year's leaves dry out. Good drainage is required.

Direct sunlight should be avoided and plants shaded; during the dormant period, keep the plant in a cool spot. The plant is resistant to ambient temperature drops down to -2 °C (28 °F). Good ventilation is necessary. It should not be repotted too often; the plant can remain in the same pot for many years. Moreover, plants grown in large containers often bloom worse. It is better if plants grow in individual small pots.

One of the secrets to successful cultivation is understanding their growth and dormancy cycles. They are winter-growing plants - they begin growing in late summer or early autumn, at a time when most species are in bloom, and grow most actively in late autumn and winter. The plants enter dormancy in early spring as days become longer and temperatures higher.