Stomatiums are charming, mat-forming mesembs. Their flowers are usually bright yellow but are nocturnal, attracting pollinators with their intoxicating perfume. This can be reminiscent of pear, banana ester, or airplane glue — moths are known for their sometimes suicidal attractions, but, in this case, it nets them a nectar reward. The fragrance of this species is that of cloves (like carnations) and the flowers are open for a few hours after sundown, closing sometime before dawn. They may open again for a time before dawn. We offer seedlings, and some divisions thereof, of HBG 134854. These were grown from seed from controlled pollination of a few cuttings collected with permits by Russell Wagner, RW 110, former editor of the Cactus and Succulent Journal. These were collected at Swaers Hoek Pass, southeast of Craddock, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. According to Russell, “stomatiums are bulletproof in cultivation: taking extremes of wet, cold, dryness, and heat. In nature, they are tiny plants that occupy extremely shallow soils over hard rock pans. In garden settings, with regular irrigation, they can form huge mats.” $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 94 (2), Summer 2022