40 Exquisite Adromischus Species [With Pictures]

Adromischus, named after the ancient Greek “adros” (thick) and “mischos” (stem), is a genus of the Crassulaceae family. They are easily propagated leaf succulents and are endemic to southern Africa.

Many Adromischus species have attractively marked and colored leaves that require high levels of light to maintain their various colors. They lose their colors and revert to green when placed in the shade. As the plants age, some elongate losing leaves lower down their thickened stems.

Adromischus species generally have small flowers with a greenish-white tube and pink or reddish corolla. They produce sufficient nectar to start a fungal infection, especially towards the end of the growing season. The flowers (with the exception of Adromischus phillipsiae) are not showy, so many growers cut off the developing flower stems to avoid botrytis.

How To Care For Adromischus Species

Light

Adromischus species requires full sun for their colors to truly emerge. Indoors, they are best placed on very bright places, such as any sunny window ledge or the top shelf of the greenhouse. Their compact habit allows a collection to be maintained in a small space.

Water

In the summer, Adromischus species require water about every 10-15 days. In the winter, water only once a month at most. The upper layer of soil should be dry between watering.

Soil

Many species are easy to grow in any free-draining gritty compost or suitable store-bought soil for succulents with small amounts of coarse sand or perlite.

Climate

Adromischus species tolerate cold, frost-free conditions during the winter if kept dry. It is as well to keep water off the foliage during the winter. It is frost hardy to 19 °F (-7 °C).

Fertilizing

Fertilize Adromischus species every 2-3 weeks with fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

Propagating Adromischus Species

Many Adromischus species can be propagated from leaves. Place the leaves against the side of the pot so that the stem end is just touching the soil. Some species drop their leaves easily, and although each leaf will form a new plant, it can be a challenge to grow a large specimen. In other cases, leaves for propagation must be carefully detached with a sharp knife.

Adromischus Species

If you are wondering what kind of succulent you have, this article will help you identify 40 Adromischus species, both the common and the rare breeds.

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1,000 Types of Succulents With Pictures.

Adromischus alstonii

Adromischus alstonii has prostrate to erect stems, much-branched, and with fibrous roots. The leaves are oblanceolate, cuneated, rounded-shaped, and often mucronated (which means that they have a little spike on the top) with horny margins usually restricted to the upper part. The inflorescence is a 20 to 50 centimeters long spike. The little flowers are green with brown shades.

Adromischus caryophyllaceus

Adromischus caryophyllaceus is a multi-stemmed, succulent perennial, growing up to 14 inches (35 cm) tall when in flower. Its branches may be erect or decumbent. The leaves are pale blue-green or grey-green to yellow-green, up to 1.2 inches (3.5 cm) long and up to 0.8 inches (2 cm) wide.

Maroon coloring is often found close to the upper parts of leaf margins. The tubular flowers are up to 0.8 inches (2 cm) long and open into 5-lobed corollas. The corolla has bright pink or purple lines down the center of each lobe into the throat.

Adromischus cooperi

Adromischus cooperi (Club-adromischus) is a dwarf freely branching perennial succulent 2-7 cm tall and 15 cm in the spread. It has larger leaves than Adromischus cristatus, plump, narrowed toward the base, pale silver-grey with a hint of duck-egg green and elegantly spotted with rich dark purple.

Its stems are short, spreading, greyish-brown and occasionally with aerial roots. Inflorescences are 35cm or longer, ending in tubular, green-and-red flowers.

Adromischus cristatus

Adromischus cristatus (cristate adromischus) is an exquisite dwarf succulent plant with a few rosettes formed by fat reverse triangular leaves, with felt-like texture and characteristic crested, wavy distal leaf margins. It is a peculiar species that is unlikely to be confused with others. It is also easily recognized by the short stem wrapped in a thick coat of reddish, tangled, wiry, hair-like aerial roots. It is very variable.

Leaves are 1.5-5 cm long, 5-20 mm broad, inflated, reversed-triangular to oblong-elliptic, terete to somewhat dorsiventrally compressed, green to grey-green, tip truncate or rounded to more or less broadened and crisped, base wedge-shaped to petiolate. Margin in the upper half of the leaf horny, undulate, often darker. Sometimes covered with glandular hairs, usually glabrescent or glabrous, green to grey-green often with darker markings.

Its grey-green inflorescences end in similar grey-green small flowers.

Adromischus cristatus var. clavifolius

Adromischus cristatus var. clavifolius is an exquisite dwarf succulent plant forming compact clusters of fat, club-shaped, silver-green leaves so often called Pretty Pebbles. It is also easily recognized by the short stem wrapped in a thick coat of reddish, tangled, wiry, hair-like aerial roots. It is very variable and has also at times been confused with Adromischus cooperi.

Its grey-green inflorescences end in similar grey-green small flowers.

Adromischus cristatus var. schonlandii

Adromischus cristatus var. schonlandii is a dwarf succulent plant generally smaller than the standard Adromischus cristatus distinguished by the apical horny margin narrower than the leaf width, plus glandular hairs on the inflorescence and flowers.

Adromischus cristatus var. zeyheri

Adromischus cristatus var. zeyheri is a dwarf succulent that forms groups of stems. The variety ‘zeyheri’ is a light-green form of Adromischus cristatus which is distinguishable by its lack of aerial roots, and with glandular hairs on the leaves, inflorescences and flowers.

Its leaves are larger in comparison to the type species, light green, not mottled, waxy, flattened, oblong about 4-7 cm long and 2,2-5,5 cm wide, widely triangular, and waved/crimped at the margins. Flowers are very small, sessile, and white-cream on a 25-60 cm tall inflorescence.

Adromischus diabolicus

Adromischus fallax

Adromischus fallax is a small succulent with decumbent branches and fleshy, paddle-shaped leaves. The branches can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) long. Leaves are grey-green with purple speckles, up to 2 inches (5 cm) long, and up to 0.8 inches (2 cm) wide. Flowers are tubular, whitish with some reddish markings, and appear in late winter and spring on up to 12 inches (30 cm) tall, branched stems.

Adromischus festivus

Adromischus festivus is a dwarf succulent, up to 7 cm tall, leaves 2.5 to 5 cm long. It forms groups of stems that are knobbly, stout very short, prostrate, and with sparse branching. Older plants develop a massive caudex or large swollen area near the ground. Stems lack root hairs (unlike Adromischus cristatus).

Its leaves are fat, glabrous, small semi-cylindrical, more or less mottled with dark green to red based on the exhibition of the plant to the light. Juvenile leaves can be broad with a long margin.

Adromischus filicaulis

Adromischus filicaulis (Adromischus fragilis) is a highly variable and very slow-growing adromischus species, usually with shiny grey-green leaves and rust-colored spots and margins.

Two subspecies are recognized the nominate form and ssp. marlothii (Adromischus marlothii, Adromischus tricolor), but much variation has been recorded for this species that it might seem unnatural to divide it into two subspecies. The main difference is the presence or absence of stiff stilt roots.

Adromischus hemisphaericus

Adromischus hemisphaericus is a succulent perennial, up to 10 inches (25 cm) tall, with suberect or decumbent branches. The leaves are oblanceolate to obovate, rarely orbicular, usually grey-green with or without darker spots and with flaking wax, up to 1.8 inches (4.5 cm) long and up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) wide.

The flowers grow on erect stems up to 12 inches (30 cm) tall. They have pink, fused petal lobes and green flower tubes on a small flower spike.

Adromischus humilis

Adromischus humilis have soft, usually plain green, spathulate/ovoid leaves on low creeping/ stoloniferous stems, with dark purple lobes to green flowers, as for Tylecodon atropurpureus.

Adromischus inamoenus

Adromischus inamoenus is a perennial with little branched prostrate stems and fibrous roots. The leaves are obtuse or rounded and sometimes mucronated (with a little spike on the apex) and have thorny margins beyond the middle of the leaf. The flowers are grouped in a spike-like inflorescence and are 9 to 12 mm long, greyish green.

Adromischus leucophyllus

Adromischus leucophyllus is a dwarf succulent plant up to 12 inches (30 cm) tall, with pure white, rounded leaves covered in a fine powder and up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) long. The new leaves appear red, then green, then white. Flowers are green and pinkish, on an up to 6 inches (15 cm) tall inflorescence.

Adromischus liebenbergii

Adromischus liebenbergii is a perennial with fibrous roots and little branched stems up to 20 centimeters long. Leaves are light green, pointed (mucronated), flattened, vaguely drop-shaped. They can be also rhombic. The flowering period of Adromischus liebenbergii is in December and January, and the inflorescence is the spike-like thyrse typical of Adromischus species, it is generally 20 centimeters long. Flowers are pale green with sometimes shades of red, and they are tiny (1 centimeter long).

Adromischus maculatus

Adromischus maculatus a.k.a. “chocolate-drop” is a nice succulent with fairly flat wedge-shaped leaves, though thick, which are beautifully marked in chocolate color giving them a marbled appearance.

Stems are very short, somewhat woody, decumbent to prostrate up to 15 cm long, and little branched. Flowers are tubular and pale yellowish-green.

Adromischus mammillaris

Adromischus mammillaris is a perennial plant, densely branched. Its stems are prostrate, more or less 15 centimeters long. When cultivated in pots, leaves develop from the central stem in a rosette, and they are light green, with dark red-purple spots near the top, sometimes conglomerating. They are linear-lanceolate but fatty at the same time. Flowers grow from a spike that develops in a 20-35 centimeters long stem, and they are greyish green. The flowering period of Adromischus mammillaris is in December. Its roots are fibrous.

Adromischus marianae

Adromischus marianae is a bizarre-looking succulent plant with fleshy grey-green leaves spotted brown, but one of the most variable species in the genus and comprises innumerable morphological and geographical variants, every clone is distinct and individuals may be very different one to each other even within the same population.

Some forms are so different that no identifying feature helps to relate them to each other. Cultivated plants can be reliably distinguished only when seeds or details of the wild source are available.

Adromischus marianae ‘Blosianus’

Adromischus marianae f. alveolatus

Adromischus marianae f. alveolatus is one of the innumerable morphological and geographical variants of the very variable Adromischus marianae. It is a naturally occurring form similar to Adromischus marianae f. herrei distinguished by peculiar leaves which are shorter less acute, generally more robust, and with a very rough surface.

Tubercles are formed occasionally, and very often these run together to form minute and irregularly reticulate, low, rounded ridges. Some of these plants are quite extraordinary in shape.

Adromischus marianae f. herrei

Adromischus marianae f. herrei (Adromischus herrei) is a small slow-growing succulent shrub constricted at the base, variable in size up to up to 10 cm tall with many thin and very short branches. It is now believed to be merely a red-brown population of Adromischus marianae with very rough leaves that looks like dried raisins. This species is variable and every clone is distinct and worth growing more than one sample.

Stems are short, erect, tapering, and basally tuberose. Leaves are green to reddish-brown or purple (depending on clones, growing conditions and seasons), unspotted, becoming grey and waxy as they age. Flowers are green with pinkish-red tinges and about 12 mm long.

Adromischus marianae ‘Little Spheroid’

Adromischus marianae ‘Little Spheroid’ is one of the innumerable morphological and geographical variants of the very variable Adromischus marianae. It is a naturally occurring form distinguished by superb and very peculiar round leaves.

Stems are short, thick ascending often constricted at the base. Leaves are arranged in a spiral on the main stem, sub-spherical to elliptic, slightly concave above, faintly verrucose or almost smooth, and grey-green to greyish brown with a thick bloom.

Adromischus marianae var. antidorcatum

Adromischus marianae var. hallii

Adromischus marianiae var. hallii is a rare plant from the South African/Namibian border, it has the broadest, thickest leaves within the Adromischus marianae complex. Leaves are shorter, more rounded, chalky, grey-green either red-spotted or plain. It is a dwarf to low-growing species, stays small and compact with tuberous roots and thick stems.

Adromischus marianae var. immaculatus

Adromischus marianae var. immaculatus is one of the innumerable morphological and geographical variants of the very variable Adromischus marianae. It distinguishes for the cylindrical leaves, but with great variation in marking and texture.

This Adromischus species is highly variable and individuals may be very different one to each other even within the same population. Cultivated plants can be reliably distinguished only when seeds or details of the wild source are available.

Stems are short, thick ascending often constricted at the base. Leaves are arranged in a spiral on the main stem, oblanceolate or sometimes elliptic (rarely obovate), slightly concave on both sides to terete, more-or-less verrucose (or smooth) and never purple-spotted, with an often brown or white raised and thorny margin.

Adromischus marianiae var. kubusanum

Adromischus maximus

Adromischus maximus is the biggest Adromischus species, resembling a large Cotyledon. Plain leaves up to 5” long, upon stems 1” thick, with a stout inflorescence and many flowers per lateral node.

Adromischus montium-klinghardtii

Adromischus montium-klinghardtii is a small, fibrous-rooted, clump-forming, succulent perennial with erect, rarely decumbent stems up to 8 inches (20 cm) long. The leaves are obovate to orbicular, rarely elliptic, up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) long and up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, grey-green to grayish-brown with flaking wax and without dark markings. The flowers are white or tinged pink and appear in mid-summer.

Adromischus nanus

Adromischus roaneanus

Adromischus roaneanus also spelled “roanianus” is an odd-looking succulent plant with the stem of young plants almost erect becoming prostrate with time. It is one the most variable species in the genus especially regarding the leaf shape and comprises many morphological and geographical variants, every clone is distinct and individuals may be very different one to each other even within the same population.

Some forms are so different that no identifying feature helps to relate them to each other. Cultivated plants can be reliably distinguished only when seeds or details of the wild source are available.

Adromischus schuldtianus

Adromischus schuldtianus is a very pretty, compact, perennials succulent shrub, building a branched tuberous base (caudex), variable in size up to 7 cm tall and 15 cm in diameter. The leaves are dusty white-green mottled with few translucent grey-green to maroon spots or unspotted and easily caducous. Three subspecies are recognized the nominate form subs. brandbergensis and subs. juttae.

Adromischus schuldtianus ssp. juttae

Adromischus schuldtianus ssp. juttae is a much-branched dwarf shrub, up to 10 cm high building a branched tuberous base (caudex). It usually does develop branches longer than those of ssp. schuldtianus. Leaves green, a little glossy, with numerous waxy dots. It is little known subspecies that is, according to Tolken, known only from a few plants.

Adromischus sphenophyllus

This plant has a little branched stem and fibrous roots. Its leaves are grey-green, from rounded to mucronate (“mucronate” is a botanical term that is mainly used to describe leaves with a pointy apex). Often, close to the margin, they have red-purple blurs.  The margin forms a straight line from the broadest point at the apex towards the thin base. In botany, this shape of a leaf is called “lanceolate”.

The flowering period of Adromischus sphenophyllus is in December and January. The flowers are really small (0,9-11 centimeters long), and they are grey-tinged red. They are grouped in the typical spike-like inflorescence of the Adromischus species.

Adromischus subdistichus

This plant has fibrous roots and little branches stems. The leaves are rounded, almost circular, dark green-grey, thick, with the margin turning purple-red on the upper part.

The inflorescence develops on a dark red-purple stem, which is much taller than the plant and is a thyrse, which is the word used in botany to describe a branching flower cluster. Flowers are really small (1 centimeter more or less). The flowering period, as one of all the other Adromischus species, is in winter.

Adromischus subviridis

Adromischus subviridis is another beautiful, but larger species with white farinose leaves, always with red spots. Their leaves dry up excessively if not given year-round watering.

Adromischus triflorus

Adromischus triflorus is an exquisite dwarf perennial succulent plant forming a cluster with decumbent stems 20 cm long. The shape and size of the leaves of this species are very variable and a number of local forms can be recognized. Often the leaves have reddish speckles that tend to become more intense in bright light; however, sometimes the leaves are devoid of spots.

Flowers are greenish on the outside and white or pink inside the petals. Flowering occurs in summer.

Adromischus trigynus (Calico Hearts)

Adromischus trigynus (also known as Calico Hearts) is a dwarf, compact succulent plant with grey-green leaves mottled and often with a purplish-maroon marginal tinge. It grows up to 1.8 inches (4.5 cm) tall and up to 5 inches (12.5 cm) in diameter.

Leaves are compactly arranged, obovate to nearly orbicular, convex both above and beneath and up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) long. Small, white or tinged pink flowers emerge on up to 14 inches (35 cm) long stalks in late spring. They are not particularly showy.

Adromischus umbraticola

Adromischus umbraticola is a perennial with a tuberous, very branched base, and fibrous roots. Leaves are oblanceolate (this is a botanical term used when the shape of a leaf reminds a spear), restricted towards the base, pale green, sometimes with dark spots. the inflorescence is a thyrse (the botanical term for “cluster”), which develops on a 20-35 centimeters long stem, with tiny green tinged pink flowers, 1-1.3 centimeters long.

Adromischus umbraticola ssp ramosus

Sources:
https://worldofsucculents.com/
https://www.llifle.com/
https://adromischus.cactus-mall.com/
https://www.giromagicactusandsucculents.com/