Consulta Plantas

Care of the succulent plant Glottiphyllum longum or Tongue Leaf Plant

The genus Glottiphyllum, family Aizoaceae, comprises 50 species of succulent plants native to southern Africa. Some species are: Glottiphyllum longum, Glottiphyllum grandiflorum, Glottiphyllum depressum, Glottiphyllum fragrans, Glottiphyllum platycarpum.

Common names: Tongue Leaf Plant, Tongue plant. This species is native to the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa.

They are small succulent plants with a creeping bearing. They have curious fleshy, light green leaves, distal arrangement and shaped like a twisted tongue with a rounded apex. They produce showy yellow flowers without a peduncle. They bloom from late summer to early winter.

They are used in rockeries, in succulent gardens and in pots and planters for patios, terraces and balconies.

Glottiphyllum longum needs full sun or semi-shade exposure. The winter temperature should not be less than 5 ºC (41 ºF).

The soil can be a mixture of 30% peat, 30% leaf mulch, and 40% coarse siliceous sand.

Water moderately in spring and summer, waiting for the substrate to be dry; they are very resistant to drought. Do not water from early fall to early spring.

They do not need pruning or fertilizers.

They are plants resistant to pests but sensitive to excess moisture.

They propagate by separation of suckers or by seeds sown in spring; the seeds can be kept for several years.

Images of the succulent plant Glottiphyllum longum or Tongue Leaf Plant