Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A miniature succulent, Monanthes brachycaulos

Monanthes brachycaulos (Crassulaceae Family)
This tiny succulent eeks out an existence in the wild on the rock cliffs of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. I noticed today there are some miniature glistening flowers just appearing at the ends of the creeping stems These would be smaller than any insect which was seeking out nectar so I am not sure how it gets pollinated if at all. A Bonsai pot with a gravel mulch provides it with a perfect home and it keeps on growing without any special care.

2 comments:

  1. dear Ian, that's what I like - plants that keep growing without special care, showing they are in the right environment. If it lives on a cliff in the wild maybe it uses the wind for pollination instead of insects? cheers, catmint

    ReplyDelete
  2. To my experience and knowledge this plant is
    not Monanthes brachycaulos. The plants I have
    bought and read about online with this name are very small round heads made up of tiny plump leaves, nothing like what you have pictured.

    ReplyDelete