Anacampseros rufescens ‘Variegata’

Cultivated form and natural range of Anacampseros rufescens ‘Variegata’

Anacampseros rufescens ‘Variegata’ is the variegated horticultural form of Anacampseros rufescens. The species is native to South Africa's Cape Provinces and Free State, where it grows on rocky ground.

How to care for Anacampseros rufescens ‘Variegata’

Strong light helps this variegated succulent keep its rosettes compact and can deepen the pink colouring around the cream and yellow areas. Give it very bright light with some gentle direct sun, introducing stronger sun gradually to protect the pale parts from scorch. Average room humidity works well when air can move freely around the rosettes.

Use a gritty, freely draining succulent mix in a pot with drainage holes. Water thoroughly after the mix has dried through, then let all excess water drain away. Feed about once a month during active growth with succulent fertiliser at about half the strength shown on the label.

Keep the plant frost-free and above about 5 °C, with the potting mix kept dry when growth slows in cooler conditions. Repot when the rosette cluster or roots have filled the container. Rooted side rosettes can be separated to make new plants; if separation leaves a fresh cut, let the surface dry and seal before potting the rosette.

Problems and solutions for Anacampseros rufescens ‘Variegata’

• Rosettes becoming loose and stretched: the plant is probably receiving too little light. Move it gradually into a brighter position; new rosettes should develop more compactly.
• Soft leaves or a dark, mushy stem base while the mix is damp: staying wet for too long can cause rot. Remove the plant from the pot and cut rotten tissue back to firm healthy growth with a clean tool, then discard the rotten material. If only the roots were affected and healthy roots remain, repot the rooted plant in fresh, gritty mix. If the cut extends into the stem or rosette base, let that wound dry and seal before potting or rooting the healthy section.
• Cottony white insects between the leaves: mealybugs may be hidden deep in the rosettes. Isolate the plant, inspect between the tightly packed leaves and remove visible insects. Use a treatment labelled for mealybugs on succulents if the infestation persists. Repeat it only as directed on the label.

Keep Anacampseros rufescens f. variegata away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

The meaning and history of Anacampseros rufescens

The genus name Anacampseros comes from an old Greek plant name once believed to restore lost love. The species epithet rufescens means becoming reddish or red-tinged, matching the warmer colour the succulent can develop.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Anacampseros in 1758 in Opera Varia, page 232.

Adrian Hardy Haworth first described it as Ruelingia rufescens in 1819 in Supplementum Plantarum Succulentarum, page 64. Robert Sweet later placed it in Anacampseros as Anacampseros rufescens in 1826 in Hortus Britannicus, page 170.