Dracaena pinguicula

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Walking sansevieria
In flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Dracaena
Species:
D. pinguicula
Binomial name
Dracaena pinguicula
(P.R.O.Bally) Byng & Christenh.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Sansevieria pinguicula P.R.O.Bally

Dracaena pinguicula,

xerophytic CAM succulent[2] native to the Bura area of Kenya, near Garissa. The species was described by Peter René Oscar Bally in 1943.[3]

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin pinguis, meaning "fat", attributed to the shape of the leaves.[4]

Characteristics

Habit

Dracaena pinguicula is a short, erect plant resembling a dwarf

stolons which terminate in new plantlets. These then produce stilt-like roots that extend downward to the ground, resulting in a plant that appears to be walking away from its parent.[5]

Foliage

The blue-green leaves of D. pinguicula are covered in a thick waxy

arid regions of Kenya.[5]

Roots

Stilt-like roots holding a young plantlet above the surface. The stolon is visible to the right.

The defining characteristic of D. pinguicula are its thick stilt-like roots. Each rosette produces several of these roots, which can elevate the plant several inches off the ground and are covered in a thick brown cuticle. Fine roots are produced underground and are responsible for nutrient and moisture absorption. During the dry season, the fine roots will die, and the plant will enter dormancy. However, the thick succulent roots survive and the plant will resume growth once the wet season arrives and the roots regrow.

Flowers

Flowers are borne in clusters of 5–6 on an erect branched

stolons
bearing young plantlets.

Cultivation

Young plant in cultivation

Dracaena pinguicula is extremely slow growing and requires warm temperatures to grow. It is therefore difficult to find in cultivation.

Variegated specimens are highly prized but rarely arise, and are sold at high prices.[6] Normal specimens are more common but still highly sought after due to their unique growing habit.[4][7]

Soil and water

In cultivation, D. pinguicula, like most xerophytic plants, grows best in porous, well drained soil. Excessive watering will cause the fleshy roots to rot, so it is essential that the soil is allowed to dry sufficiently between waterings.[4][7] Many growers prefer a coarse potting mix consisting of a combination of inorganic and organic ingredients. Gravel, perlite, vermiculite, and decomposed granite are commonly used to add weight and improve drainage, while bark chips and coconut coir or husks are used for moisture retention. Such a porous mix will prevent over watering and provide ample aeration, but requires more frequent watering to prevent over drying.

Temperature

D. pinguicula will die if temperatures drop below 7 °C with wet soil. However, it can survive near freezing temperatures if the soil is dry. The plant grows best in warm daytime temperatures from 25 to 35 °C with cooler night temperatures from 10 to 20 °C.[4]

Light

D. pinguicula will survive in a wide range of light conditions from direct outdoor sunlight to deep shade indoors. Under low light conditions the leaves may become etiolated, evident through a darker green colouration of the leaves, which become longer and thinner than usual.[4] D. pinguicula grows best in bright light for 12–16 hours a day. In higher latitudes, many botanical gardens with specimen plants induce dormancy by stopping watering during the winter, when days are too short to sustain normal growth.[4] This cycle roughly emulates the wet and dry seasons of the plant in habitat.[8]

Propagation

Most related species seldom set seed,

vegetative propagation
by division or by leaf cutting is the preferred method.

Division

This can be done by removing and rooting the plantlets produced at the end of each stolon. Since the plantlets grow a rosette of leaves before beginning root growth, when rooting plantlets, it is very important that plantlet is not removed before it has developed stilt roots to a length of at least 3 cm.[4] If removed too soon, the plantlet will not have the energy or water reserves to produce roots before dying.[7] Once stilt roots have been grown to sufficient length, however, the stolon can be cut at any point and the new plant can be potted in slightly moist porous soil.

Depending on conditions, a plantlet can take anywhere from a few weeks to almost a year before producing new roots, and may take even longer to grow fine roots and become established. Division is the preferred method for propagating most specimens, and in particular,

variegated
specimens, since leaf cuttings typically do not preserve the variegation.

Leaf cutting

Leaf

apical meristem
, this is the preferred method for generating variegated specimens due to the volume of leaves which can be rooted simultaneously.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Dracaena pinguicula (Cornu ex Gérôme & Labroy) Byng & Christenh". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  2. PMID 32689143
    .
  3. ^ "Species: Sansevieria pinguicula; P.R.O.Bally". GBIF. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  4. ^
    ISBN 987-43-9250-9
    .
  5. ^ a b c d "JSTOR Plant Science: Entry for Sansevieria pinguicula". JSTOR. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  6. ^ "Most Expensive Sansevieria Auctions". Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  7. ^ a b c d Stover, Hermine (1983). The Sansevieria Book.
  8. ^ "Kenya Seasons and Climate". Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  9. ISBN 978-3-540-61607-8
    .
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