Kangaroo Rose - Lapidaria margaretae

Kangaroo Rose (Lapidaria margaretae) : A pale blue-green to pink oddity related to Lithops and other mimicry plants. These unusual-looking succulents have thick, three-sided leaves and naturally stack up two to four leaf pairs. Light leaf texturing and pastel colors help them camouflage against quartz and gneiss in their native Namibian and South African habitats. In the wild, they can bloom multiple times each winter with large, shiny yellow flowers. The flowers are around 2.0" wide have up to 100 petals, sometimes obscuring the rest of the plant. The blooms open during the day and close up at night.

The Karoo Rose is adapted to sunny, arid conditions with only 10.0" of rain per year and will not tolerate low-light or over-watering. They need rapidly draining mineral soil (80% mineral grit, 20% organic soil) and a deep pot with a drainage hole. Plants should be watered when the soil is dry in the fall growing season and lightly in spring, but left to dry during winter and summer. This species does not tolerate frost, but grows reliably on sunny window sills and under grow lights.