Faucaria Tigrina

[sundanz]

It's ready to roll with its first flower!! I don't have much luck with the Faucarias but this one stayed with me despite watering mistakes! Now it's going to present me with a flower!! How cool is that?!?!? So happy!!:-)

Karin

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[sundanz]

Here's the flower!
Karin

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[BobbyZ]

Keep on trying and suprised, enjoy your accomplishment. I have never attempted that species, thanks for sharing. Bobby Z

[onesickfreak]

;-}

[Buckethead]

I've had one of those for years and it never has flowered.

[majcka]

How can one differ a tigrina and a tuberculosa??? They both seem equal to me.

[iann]

How can one differ a tigrina and a tuberculosa??? They both seem equal to me.

Most plants labelled as F. tigrina aren't. The horticultural trade likes the name, I guess it sells well, and simple things like labelling with the right name don't interest most of them.

About 90% of the Faucarias I see for sale include some F. tuberculosa. They hybridise readily and this particular form nearly always shows through in the hybrids with lumps where other species don't have lumps

F. tuberculosa is easy to spot by the lumpy tubercles on top of the leaves. Having them doesn't mean it is pure F. tuberculsa, but pick ones that look good and who really cares?

Identifying F. tigrina for sure is more difficult. It has distinctive spines, not necessarily the longest or most numerous in the genus, and tends to have strong white markings, but these aren't unique either. If you see a plant with the spines reaching most of the way down the leaves, with white lines along the keels and up onto the spines, without tubercles, and also a tendency to red shades, it could be F tigrina. If it lacks strong white markings, has a strong distinction between a leaf stalk and a broader spined portion, has few spines (less than about 5 on each side) or very many (more than about 10), then it is probably F. felina which is far more common.