Portulacaria pygmaea

A tiny, slow-growing dwarf shrub with a thickened base from the arid Richtersveld and lower Orange River area on the South Africa–Namibia border. It is one of the smallest members of its genus and is valued by caudiciform collectors. It needs intense light, a mineral mix and very cautious watering.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Rocky hillsides and stony ground in extremely arid succulent desert, often wedged among rocks with roots running into cracks. Generalised from the genus and the few record sites.

Too few records carry elevations; the single climate site sits close to the Orange River valley.

Namibia (southern)South Africa (Northern Cape)

🔒 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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More Portulacaria

Portulacaria afra Portulacaria namaquensis Portulacaria armiana Portulacaria carrissoana Portulacaria fruticulosa Portulacaria longipedunculata

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 3.0 licence, unmodified.