Members were given one of these at the start of the year. We are to look after it and bring it back at the December 2022 meeting (the annual Pot Luck) for comparison.
Scientific Name: Fockea edulis
Common Name: Hottetot Bread
Family: Apocynaceae
Place of Origin: South Africa and Namibia
Description: A semi-deciduous perennial caudiciform succulent with long vining stems. Fockeas are dioecious, so a male plant and a female plant are needed to produce seeds. The flowers are pollinated by fruit flies and the female plant produces grey-greenish seed pods called follicles. Seeds have long white filaments to assist in wind dispersal.
Care and Cultivation: A good plant for beginners as it is easy to cultivate and the water storing caudex takes on interesting shapes. Water weekly during the growing season and plant in well-draining soils. Growth slows down in the January – April period but the plant never goes into complete dormancy and always carries some leaves. Plants cannot tolerate more than occasional light frosts. In coastal SoCal they may be grown in full sun or partial shade. The caudex is partially or totally buried so when re-potting the caudex may be elevated to expose what was below ground. A newly exposed caudex might shrink if kept in fierce sun.
Pronunciation: FOK-ee-uh ED-yew-liss
Origin of Name: [Fockea] Named for Dr. Focke Albers, modern-day German professor and expert on the Asclepiadaceae family. [edulis] Edible.
Author Citation: (Thunb.) K.Schum.
Note: Seed grown by Laurel Woodley, sown in June, 2020.
Links to sources of information:
Also see the SCCSS Annual Plant List