Cactus Cheiridiopsis Denticulata

I’m going to talk to you today about a cactus that’s not a cactus or a succulent, but a small perennial plant. It is called Cheiridiopsis denticulata and is known as carpet grass, because when it is planted on the ground and is grouped with different specimens, the curious shape it has with its tips upwards, resembles a carpet from which we all have at home on the floor of the room. It is native to South Africa.

This plant can grow up to ten centimeters high and extend over land to thirty centimeters. What is curious about this species are the leaves, as they are opposite and may have one, two, or three pairs of leaves that are completely erect and overlap those that are placed directly on the ground. These leaves are never the same; they always grow in a different way. Its normal color is from a bright green to a dark green.

When it blooms it is never known what color the flowers will come from. They can be yellow, white or orange. This plant is active from late winter to spring, and it began resting in summer, meaning it must be irrigated abundantly in autumn and spring, which is when it grows. In summer, you don’t have to irrigate, only when you see that the leaves are starting to shrink, you can apply water to them with a spray, just the right amount to rehydrate them.

And finally, as far as light is concerned, it needs a bright exposure when it’s in the shadow, that is, it wants sunless light direct to the winter season, and it wants a cool shaded place in the summer, to provide a certain degree of moisture, without passing also because much humidity can end with the plant.