Succulents with a built-in summer halo, cool and refreshing all summer long

Just as mentioned in the second article today, growing succulents in summer is super difficult. So, are there any succulents that come with a built-in summer halo? There really are, for example... the bulb.

Don't laugh, this is a legitimate plant name. It looks like this:

A light bulb. Image: fish bird / flickr

What you see as a bulb is actually a leaf

The bulb, whose scientific name is Conophytum burgeri, is a perennial succulent plant in the genus Conophytum of the family Aizoaceae. The bulb is native to Namaqualand in South Africa, the succulent heartland, but its distribution is narrow and limited; it can only be seen in a small area near the mineral veins at the town of Aggeneys in Northern Cape Province. This is the farm of the Burger family, and that is where the species epithet burgeri comes from. Because the bulb looks like a small onion as a whole, it has the nickname Burger's onion, so next time don't think it refers to a vegetable.

Aggeneys is a mining town located in the northwestern corner of South Africa. Image: our-africa.org

The part of the bulb that you see is not a stem, and certainly not a fruit, but a modified leaf. The bulb plant has almost no stem, and its leaves are highly succulent, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, forming a beautiful, soft cone with a bluntly rounded tip; viewed from the side, it looks like a small hill. The bulb's pale green leaves appear translucent and glossy in the sunlight, and crystal-like cracked patterns can also be seen on them. Under conditions of large temperature differences and strong sunlight, the fresh green leaves will put on a tender pink-red coat; at this time the bulb is at its cutest, like a living ruby, very endearing.

The bulb is actually a leaf. Image: picssr.com

Quietly asking the holy monk, is the bulb beautiful? Image: miyatake30 / flickr

The bulb's opposite leaves are almost completely fused together, with only a rather inconspicuous depression at the tip of the cone. By autumn, flower buds can be observed developing inside the leaf body, and when the time is right they will push open the thin membrane at the tip of the cone and poke their heads out.

The bulb has many petals, slender as silk, with a gradient from white to purple from base to tip, like the "filament" extending from a light bulb, and also like brilliant fireworks in bloom, with extremely high ornamental value. However, their flowers generally open during the day and close at night, so you have to pick the right time to admire them.

A little bulb in bloom. Image: World of Succulents

Mount Fuji lingering snow, the bulb's dormancy and rebirth

A dormant bulb, doesn't it look like a deflated onion? Image: Paul / flickr

When the growing season arrives, the old kraft-paper-like leaves gradually peel off, which is the so-called "shedding." The old skin that has not yet completely faded hangs on top, and I actually find it has a wabi-sabi feeling of "Mount Fuji lingering snow."

A group of bulbs that have not yet fully lifted their "veil"; if interpreted by an artsy person, their papery skin is like a layer of first snow covering continuous small hills; for a food lover, a half-shedding bulb is like a pudding sprinkled with a layer of frosting, waiting for you to uncover and savor these delicious and moving good bodies. Image: Dave's Garden

After shedding is complete, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that your little bulb is a whole size larger than before. At this time, if you can slowly increase watering, after a period the bulb will return to its crystal-clear, handsome appearance. The bulb's demand for water is not high; overwatering during the growing period will cause the leaf tissue to swell, leading to cracking of the leaf epidermis, leaving ugly scars, and possibly rot.

Overwatering can cause the bulb's leaf epidermis to crack. Image: oribinu / flickr

Cute bulb, survival is not easy

The bulb grows slowly; a three-year-old seedling is only about the size of a fingernail, but as long as you persevere (if it doesn't die), it is said that a bulb can grow to the size of an egg. Unlike other Conophytum species, the bulb generally does not easily form clustered plants, so vegetative propagation is not easy, and it generally relies on collecting seeds for sowing and raising seedlings.

Don't assume that just because the bulb is delicate, it grew up in favorable conditions; in fact, its living conditions are quite harsh. The bulb's native habitat is a barren and desolate quartz gravel plain, with white crystals and red-ochre clay seen everywhere; combined with scorching sunlight and little rain during droughts, it is simply purgatory for ordinary plants. Fortunately, the bulb's succulent leaves store abundant water, and it grows close to the ground, with most of it buried in the clay and only a small part exposed for photosynthesis, which enables them to endure extreme weather; at the same time, the quartz stones on the surface also reflect part of the sunlight, providing the bulbs with a relatively cool shelter.

Can you spot the bulbs in the picture? There are 2. Image: cactuspro.com

In addition to dealing with natural challenges, the bulb also faces human threats. Due to mining destruction and farmland reclamation, the bulb's living space has become increasingly severe; in addition, its special appearance and cute attributes have made the horticultural world "dote on it," which directly led for a time to rampant illegal digging and smuggling; combined with the fact that in natural environments the bulb grows extremely slowly and reproduces and renews very slowly, this has comprehensively led to a sharp decline in bulb numbers. At present, wild bulbs in South Africa are listed as an endangered species and are strictly protected.

A ruby-like bulb, super cute. Image: nabeya / flickr

The bulbs currently sold on the market are basically grown domestically from seeds purchased from some qualified horticultural companies abroad through sowing and breeding, and then put on the market. Due to their scarcity and difficulty of care, bulb prices have remained high. In any case, this move can to a certain extent meet enthusiasts' needs while also easing pressure on habitat protection. Here we call on all succulent lovers: do not buy protected succulent plants from their places of origin.

Sometimes I wonder whether I'm growing a wax apple. Image: seonin.com

Note: even bulbs cannot stand extreme heat! What safe summer-survival cards work for your succulents?

Next Thursday, the author of this article, @Succulent Assault, will answer for you in the Species Calendar online salon! Long-press the QR code below to sign up immediately and grab an interactive seat.