#gasteria

Gasteria batesiana

Gasterias are related to aloes, but they are less wide-ranging, with all of the species native to southern Africa. Many of them occur in the southern part of the country, but G. batesiana occurs in the northeast. It is notable for its rough-textured leaves and for its long flowers with a noticeably narrowed mid-section. Like other Gasteria species, its tubular flowers contain nectar, and they are visited by nectar-loving sunbirds. Here in California we don't have sunbirds, but our hummingbirds are frequent visitors to the flowers.

Gasteria sps.

Plant of the Day

Thursday 18 May 2023

My succulent houseplant Gasteria 'Little Warty' (ox tongue) has produced these long flower stems. The genus is named for the stomach-shaped flowers, ‘gaster’ being Latin for ‘stomach’. The clump-forming leaves have raised pale green stripes.