All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Encyclopaedia of Succulents. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.

Adromischus herrei
This plant is extraordinary in appearance and among the most notable species of the genus and well worth cultivating. It forms a cluster of distinctive leaves that are rough and warty on the surface.
 

Description: Small slow-growing succulent shrub constricted at the base, variable in size up to  up to10 cm tall with many thin and very short branches. It is now believed to be merely a red-brown population of A. marianiae with very rough leaves that looks like dried raisins. This species is variable and every clone is distinct and worth to grow more than one sample.
Stem: Short, erect, tapering, basally tuberose.
Roots: Tuberose.
Leaves: Green to reddish-brown or purple (depending on clones, growing conditions and seasons), unspotted, becoming grey and waxy as they ages, petiolate, short, almost spherical to elongate lanceolate or oblanceolate, tapered at both ends and roundish in cross section or slightly concave above, 1,5 to 3,5 cm long, very irregularly warty (tubercled) and slightly caniculate (grooved) in the upper part. Margins absent or brownish or white, raised and more or less horny especially near the tip.
Flowers: Green with pinkish-red tinge about 12 mm long.
 

.

Advertising

Adromischus herrei (W. F. Barker) von Poellnitz
In: in Fedde 44: 62. 1938.

Accepted scientific name: Adromischus marianae fa. herrei (W.F.Barker) J.Pilbeam
In: Nation. Cact. Succ. J. (U. K.), 36 (2): 34: 1981

Origin:  South Africa (Little Namaqualand)

Habitat: Often filling up cracks on granite hills.

Synonyms:  

• Cotyledon herrei W. F. Barker 1931
• Adromischus marianae var. antidorcadum von Poellnitz
  In:Fedde, Repert. 44. 61, sphalm. anticordatum; et in Cact. Journ. Brit. 7. 19 (1938)
• Adromischus var. immaculatum Uitewaal 1953
   

Since this species has highly variable in leaf texture colour, it is worth collecting many forms.

Cultivation: They prefer well-drained soil in a partially shaded position and require a minimum temperature 5°C (But hardy down to -7°C for short periods), with good drainage and dryness in winter to resist the cold. Let the soil dry between soaking, in the wild, it receives rain mostly in spring and fall. Must have very dry atmosphere.
They are vulnerable to mealybugs and rarely scale. It is prone to rotting from the tuberous base or from dried inflorescences. As the plant matures, the centre becomes bare. When it does, restart it from side cuttings and throw away the central part.

Propagation: Adromischus seeds are very small and seed propagation is rarely used they are usually propagate from single leaves (leaf cuttings) or stem cuttings.
Twist off a leaf and permit it to dry out a couple of days, lay it on the soil and insert the stem end partially into the soil. The original leaf should not be removed until it has dried up. Try to keep the leaf somewhat upright so that the roots are able to grow downward. If grown in a container, bottom watering by immersing the container is recommended.

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Encyclopaedia of Succulents. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.