African Bonsai

Description

Trichodiadema bulbosum is a succulent plant of the genus Trichodiadema, native to South Africa. According to POWO and the WCSP, it is a synonym of Trichodiadema intonsum. It is a small, erect shrub with pink flowers. The erectly held branches are one feature that can distinguish this species from its relatives. Another key feature is its bulbous tuber. This basal caudex is mostly underground, but the top of it often rises out of the ground. The fruit capsule has five locules. A very distinctive character is the covering of its leaves. Each leaf has shorter bristle-like papillae all over its leaves. It also has the typical Trichodiadema diadem of bristles on the tip of each leaf. The dense bristles make a spider-web like covering over the entire plant. Trichodiadema is a genus of succulent plants of the family Aizoaceae. The name "Trichodiadema" comes from the ancient Greek (hair, bristle) and (crown) They come from Cape Province in South Africa. Trichodiadema are small, short-stemmed succulents with small, elongated, alternating sections measuring 8 mm long. They are grey and green. At the apex of each alternating section is a ring of small bristles radiating around the center, that give the appearance of a cactus areola. The flowers look like daisies, with red, pink or white petals, earning them the nickname "Desert Rose". Two species however, Trichodiadema aureum and Trichodiadema introrsum, have flowers that are yellow. The plant requires sun exposure (although not too intense), and well-drained soil. Propagation is by division of the clumps. Propagation by cuttings is difficult, because of the risk of rot. Trichodiademum densum has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.