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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Pink |
| Bloomtime: Summer/Fall |
| Synonyms: [Gasteria croucheri 'Subtropical Coast'] |
| Height: 1 foot |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Gasteria croucheri ssp. pendulifolia - Subtropical Coast Gasteria - A medium size clustering Gasteria croucheri that grows to form a mound about a foot tall rosettes of foot long narrow bluish green leaves that have smooth margins and arch over strongly to hug the ground or become pendulous when grown in a pot or an overhang. In mid to late summer appear the flowers on a several foot long branching inflorescence that emerges upward then curves over extending the 1 inch long dangling pink in mass in a long sideways panicle. The flowers are tubular and a soft pink color near the base and lightning toward grayish pink at the slightly flaring petal tips. The flowers are larger but less swollen at the base compared to typical Gasteria croucheri. It grow in cool coastal full sun where foliage turns reddish, but best in part sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigated only occasionally late spring to fall. Hardy to at least 25° F. This is a durable and easy to grow Gasteria with a showy bloom. It makes an interesting specimen in a container where its pendulous leaves can trail down and also where it would do the same along a wall ledge. This plant is an endemic to sheer cliff-faces in the lower Umgeni River Valley in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was first described in 2001 as Gasteria pendulifolia by Ernst Van Jaarsveld in an article titled "Gasteria pendulifolia van Jaarsv., a New Species from KwaZulu-Natal " in the March April 2001 issue of the Cactus and Succulent Journal. It was noted as being closely related and allopatric (growing in a different location) to Gasteria croucher but was subsequently reduced to subspecific rank as Gasteria croucheri ssp. pendulifolia. We received our original plants with the Gasteria collection of Stockton succulent collector Alice Waidhofer in 2005 labeled as Gasteria croucheri Subtropical Coast. The label indicated that the plant had come from the National Botanical Garden Kirstenbosch in 2000 and had been collected by Ernst Van Jaarsveld. Gasteria croucheri has a wide distribution from the subtropical Eastern Cape to central KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa where it can be found growing along cliffs and rocky outcroppings. Though the climate in its native habitat is hot and humid in summer and without frost in the winter, it has performed well in California's mediterranean climate, tolerating cold temperatures down below 25° F. The name for the genus comes from the Greek word 'gaster' meaning "stomach", in reference to the swollen shape of the base of the flower and the specific epithet honors J. Crocher, a succulent plant specialist who was the first head gardener at Kew and the subspecific epithet is a reference to the leaves that hang pendulously down cliff faces.
The information about Gasteria croucheri ssp. pendulifolia displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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