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Species library › Orbea › Orbea pulchella
Succulents Partly documented

Orbea pulchella

A small creeping stapeliad from the coastal thicket around Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape. It likes bright light with some shade, mild temperatures year round and rain in any season, but rots quickly if kept wet in cool weather.

Orbea pulchella
Photo: Winfried Bruenken (Amrum), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows in coastal and inland thicket, usually in the shelter of shrubs or among rocks where stems get bright but broken light.

Mostly near sea level, with one inland record around 1,250 m.

Eastern Cape (South Africa)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 2.5 licence, unmodified.