Cotyledon pendens - Cliff Cotyledon

Cotyledon pendens is a much-branched succulent shrublet with dense, curtain-forming, hanging stems up to 60 cm long. Its roots are fibrous and not succulent. The stems are initially soft and flaccid, ± 2 mm in diameter, whitish green (due to a powdery bloom) and the nodes are about 7-15 mm apart. Its leaves are often crowded and highly succulent, in opposite pairs, pendent, the leaf blades (lamina) are elliptic to elliptic-egg-shaped (ovoid), 18-25 x 10-15 mm and 7-10 mm thick, the tip (apex) ending abruptly in a sharp point (mucronate), the base is wedge-shaped.

The short petiole is 1.5-2.0 mm long. The inflorescence is produced at the ends of the branches, it is branched and hanging and 50-90 mm long, with up to 4 flowers (sometimes only a single flower). The flower stalk is about 8-18 mm long and 2 mm in diameter. The flowers are bell shaped, orange-red 40-45 x 12-13 mm with a cylindrical tube slightly bulging in the middle. The lobes are spreading. Its 10 stamens are produced in two whorls, they are yellowish green and 18-20 mm long, fused into a tube in the lower third.

Scientific Name: Cotyledon pendens van Jaarsv.
Common Names: Cliff Cotyledon
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sedoideae
Genus: Cotyledon

Origin:
Cotyledon pendens is native to South Africa (Bashe River in the Eastern Cape).

Hardiness:
Hardiness zones USDA - 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Cotyledons can be divided into two groups. One group consists of evergreen plants with a summer growing period. The other group is made up of deciduous plants, splendidly magnificent with large, solid fleshy stems. The second group grows during the winter, and sheds its leaves during the summer.

Cotyledons require a free-draining gritty mix and plenty of sun. They are tolerant of cool, frost-free conditions during the winter if kept dry. Some require pruning to maintain an attractive shape. Cotyledons should be kept in a sunny position. Follow general succulent watering procedures. Be careful of over-watering when they are deciduous.

As succulents go, Cotyledons certainly are rewarding garden and indoor subjects, practically independent of irrigation in all but full desert conditions, though they cannot survive poor light or bad drainage in the wet. Feed it once or twice during the growing season with a fertilizer specifically formulated for cactus and succulents (poor in nitrogen), including all micro nutrients and trace elements diluted to ½ the strength recommended on the label.

– Learn more at: HOW TO GROW AND CARE Cotyledon