Titanopsis
Encyclopedia
Titanopsis is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of about 10 species of succulent plant
Succulent plant
Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots...

s of the family Aizoaceae
Aizoaceae
The Family Aizoaceae or Ficoidaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1900 species. They are commonly known as stone plants or carpet weeds. Species that resemble stones or pebbles are sometimes called mesembs...

.

The name "Titanopsis" comes from the ancient greek "titanos" (=limestone) et "opsis" (=looking like)

They come from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 (Bushmanland
Bushmanland
Bushmanland is a name applied to two different territories; one in Namibia and one in South Africa. Though they have points of resemblance, they do not adjoin....

, Upper Karoo)

Description

They are small plants, with rosette
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...

 up to 10 cm high.

Leaves are up to 3 cm with truncate tip and rough little tubercles at the apex of the leaves. They look like limestone and are hard to be seen in the wild.

Yellow flowers with 2 cm diameter appear in late fall.

Cultivation

The plants are calcicole
Calcicole
A calcicole or calciphyte is a plant that does not tolerate acidic soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate-less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown on acidic soils often develop the symptoms of aluminium...

 (=they appreciate calcaire soils)

The plants need well drained soil and sunny exposure. Few watering in summer and not at all in winter

Division of larger clumps is the easiest way of propagation. Seed is also possible.

Cultivation is difficult because they fear watering excess.

List of species

  • Titanopsis calcarea, the most known species
  • Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri
  • Titanopsis schwantesii

External links

photos on www.AIAPS.org
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK