Sukkulenten - Dickblattgewächse Standardsorte

Season Overview

Description

The Crassulaceae family belongs to the Saxifragales order. 35 genera with 1,400 species are known to date. Their ability to store water in their foliage over long periods of time means that the plants can easily survive long periods of drought. They can therefore be counted among the so-called leaf succulents. In addition to their visually appealing appearance and their reputation as lucky charms, they are of particular interest to botanists. The Crassulaceae acid metabolism, named after them, is unique in the plant world and is one of the reasons why even the most untalented gardeners cannot fall victim to thick-leaved plants. This modesty in terms of basic supply has also led to the fact that there is only one place in the world where thick-leaved plants do not occur naturally: the Antarctic. The wide range of large-leaved plants includes varieties for the garden and home. However, not all of them are hardy and are cultivated exclusively as houseplants. The best-known members of the family are certainly the money tree (Crassula ovata), the stonecrop (Sedum) and the houseleek (Sempervivum). The Crassulaceae mostly produce evergreen, perennial and herbaceous plants. Semi-shrubs and shrubs are rarer. They can become woody if they belong to the perennial species. The thick, fleshy leaves are the eponym for the broad-leaved plants and appear very characteristic as such. They are simple and smooth-edged, toothed or lobed. They grow alternately, sometimes also opposite or in so-called whorls from the leaf stalks. Two or more leaves emerge from a node directly on the stem. Many species form their typical basal rosettes (e.g. Kalanchoe and Echeveria) or distribute their foliage around the stem. The Crassulaceae do not form stipules. The color spectrum of succulents shows all shades of green. Some species stand out with a pink to purple leaf edge. Dark red and grayish-blue leaves are also possible. It's always an event when the thick-leaved plants produce inflorescences. These usually grow inconspicuously like a thin branch from the lush, dense foliage. The flowers themselves are rarely solitary. They usually appear in terminal or lateral, racemose umbels. As a rule, the flowers are hermaphrodite. In a few species they are unisexual. The radially symmetrical flowers consist of an equal number of sepals, corollas, carpels and stamens. The colorful, extremely colorful palette ranges from rich purple to bright pink and purple, bright red, orange and sunny yellow to rather unspectacular whitish-cream-colored flowers. The thick-leaved plants produce bell-shaped fruits, each of which contains at least one tiny, thread-like seed, but usually several. In some taxa, the fruits join together to form aggregate fruits or can even grow together to form capsule fruits.

Growing tips

Location: Choose a bright, sunny to semi-shady spot. In summer, the plants can also be placed outside in a warm spot protected from the rain.

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Dry

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Light germinator

Germination temperature

18 - 22 °C (Degrees Celsius)

Seeding distance

10 cm

Row spacing

50 cm

Seeding depth

0.2 cm