Pleiospilos nelii & Pleiospilos nelii ‘Royal Flush’
My own personal Pleiospilos nelii & Pleiospilos nelii ‘Royal Flush’ are plants that I have had multiple times… mainly because they have died several times now, but it wasn’t always my fault… A bird took one once… ANYWAYS these two are simply different colored variants of the same plant, with the green being the standard and the purple-burgundy being the variation. They are mesembs and like most mesembs they exist in nature with the sole purpose of blending in with their surroundings and going unnoticed by predators, because they have really developed no other methods of self-defense like other succulents have. That means that they are often vulnerable and pair that with a high level of sensitivity to their conditions and you have one difficult succulent. But thats okay because they are very aesthetically pleasing and good for some people because they like to be TOTALLY IGNORED 3-6 months of the year. Anyways I like to keep my Pleiospilos nelii & Pleiospilos nelii ‘Royal Flush’ primarily with each other because they are so fussy, but also I have had them with various Lithops (because they are ALSO very fussy, maybe even more so…) but also Fenestraria rhopalophylla and Titanopsis calcarea, because they are all mimicry plants, and personally I like them all when they are a bit buried in sand because it makes them look more ‘wild’.
General Info
Pleiospilos nelii is a two or four thick globe-shaped grey-green leaved with a dramatic slit between each set of leaves where the next pair emerges from. Pleiospilos nelii ‘Royal Flush’ has all the same features except is usually a bit smaller and is obviously purple instead.
From this point on Pleiospilos nelii refers to both varieties.
Pleiospilos nelii carries the common name of split rock, referencing it’s rock like appearance and texture, and also the large gap between the leaves. It is a member of the small Pleiospilos genus, which contains only a few other species, most of which look very similar to Pleiospilos nelii, and the genus name actually when broken down means full dots, referring to the speckled complexion of their smooth skin. They are native to the South African Karoo, where there is bright unfiltered light and very little rainfall, meaning that when kept they expect the same sort of conditions and are unable to handle anything too far outside that. They also need a very quickly draining soil, even more so than other succulents because they are very HIGHLY susceptible to root rot. It is said that they can actually even go months to a whole year without any sort watering, telling you how drought resistant they are. This is because like many other mesembs Pleiospilos nelii has a long thick taproot that is able to also hold and store water and is what allows them to go such long periods of time without any moisture. This taproot means that they also prefer long and deeper pots then you might expect that they would need. Also like many other very water sensitive mesembs Pleiospilos nelii CANNOT TOLERATE fertilizer. Do not fertilize Pleiospilos nelii ever. It can make a variety of weird or unwanted traits appear and isn’t good for the health of the plant. Over time this species will also send off offsets at it’s base which can later be divided and separated from the main plant. I would only recommend Pleiospilos nelii to an experienced succulent keeper because although that can handle abuse, it’s only a certain kind of abuse and are likely to die if kept in the hands of someone who isn’t well enough informed about them. It is also recommended that they are kept indoors in a very bright spot if they are kept.
Characteristics
Native to: South Africa
Height: 2-4 inches
Spread: 4-6 in, offsets occasionally
Hardiness: to 25°F+
Light Requirements: Bright Sun
Water Requirements: Very Light (Very Light for succulents)
Flowers: Large and bright colored flowers in spring
Other: EXTREMELY drought friendly, sun loving, mimicry plant, ideal potted plant, likes deep pots.
Species Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Core Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Pleiospilos
Species: P. nelii
Subspecies: P. nelii ‘Royal Flush’
