How to grow Stomatium

How to grow Stomatium

The Stomatium (Stomatium Schwantes, 1926) are a genus of succulent plants of the Aizoaceae family originating from South Africa.
These plants form thick clumps of fleshy leaves, opposite two by two, which appear as an open mouth (hence the name deriving from the Greek stoma, precisely mouth). The leaves have lateral teeth and small warts on the top, the upper part is flat and the lower part is keeled.
The flowers have a yellow color and bloom in summer and during the hours of the night.
The genus Stomatium includes about 40 species.
Among the most known and cultivated species we recall:
– Stomatium suaveolens; with large leaves that tend to take a reddish color when exposed to the sun;
– Stomatium ermininum; characterized by long triangular-shaped leaves at the apex;
– Stomatium jamesii; with triangular-tipped leaves and numerous warts;
– Stomatium peersii; plant with short, pointed leaves;
– Stomatium fulleri; recognizable by the leaves with a curved shape.

In this card we will see cultivate the Stomatium following the climatic and pedological needs of these plants.
To cultivate the Stomatium it is necessary to choose or prepare a very porous substrate, half of which is composed of fertilized soil and half of very coarse sand. This composition is necessary to avoid any possible stagnation that would lead to plant rots.
The place to grow these plants should be very bright and in direct sunlight.
As for water supplies, it is necessary to behave by watering the Stomatium on a regular basis during the summer and suspending these.
Also remember that the ambient temperature should never fall below 5 ° C.
Finally the technique of multiplication and reproduction. The reproduction can take place by sowing in fine and sandy soil kept in constant humidity and protected from the sun’s rays; when the seeds begin to sprout they will be gradually brought to light until the plants are large enough to be planted in pots or in the ground.