What do you know about the genus Othonna? Have you ever seen these plants? I’m sure you do, but perhaps you haven’t known them by their original name but by the one that is commonly called.
So that this does not happen, below we are going to talk about these plants, how many make it up and some of the best known and their care. Go for it?
What gender is the Othonna
To begin with, you should know that the Othonna is a genus of phanerogamous plants. That is, seed plants, discovered by Carlos Linnaeus in 1753.
In total it has 258 described species, but official (accepted) are not all of them, rather the list is reduced to only 111. They grow in different habitats and that means that each one has different characteristics and needs. But most of them are originally from South Africa and Namibia.
A curiosity that you should know about the Othonna plant is that its name comes from othonne, which is a Greek word that translates as “linen”, “cloth”. And this refers to the softness of the leaves (not in all species, but in many).
Physically, for being from the family AseraceaeThey are similar to sunflowers and daisies. At the succulent level, it closely resembles senecio. And it is that, visually, they are herbs or succulent shrubs (or subsucculents, depending on the species). The leaves are flattened on the back (in greater or lesser density) with a succulent habit, which means that they accumulate water. They are elongated although they can have different shapes. They are almost always evergreen but there are species that die in the fall and these have a woody stem and a caudex that is where water and nutrients accumulate.
As for the flowers, these are similar to daisies, but not of the same color. They are totally yellow.
What species of Othonna are there
The truth is that if we had to talk to you about the 258 species, you would end up very bored with it, so we are going to list only some of the best known. They are the following:
- Othonna capensis.
- O. cheirifolia.
- O. triplinervia.
- Othonna cacalioides.
- O. herrei.
- Othonna toothed.
- O. euphorbioides.
- O. opal necklace.
- Othonna sonchifolia.
As you know, there are many more, but almost all of them are very similar (there are only a few that are quite different).
Othonna care
Although each species is unique and will have its peculiarities, in general the care that we are going to recommend can be used for almost all of them. And it is that having an Othonna at home is not as easy as it might seem. But that it stays well and does not die, perhaps it will be more complicated without some bases.
Fortunately, here you have those bases.
lighting and temperature
The first thing you should know is that Othonna is a sun plant, but not direct. It is recommended that you put it on the ground or in a pot in a semi-shady place, so that you can take advantage of the morning and afternoon sun leaves but not the ones with the highest incidence.
These plants adapt very well to hot climates, and in fact can withstand high temperatures without a problem. But in terms of casualties, it is not so good at resisting. If it is below 10ºC then it can suffer or even lose it.
Substratum
Another important point so that the Othonna does not die is to use a suitable soil for these plants. In this sense, the best is a mixture between peat and sand or light gravel.
Keep in mind that it needs more drainage than nutritionwith which it is not necessary that the soil that you put in it is very rich in nutrients (in fact, if it is not, it is much better).
Depending on the species, the transplant should be done before or after. This will consist of removing it from the pot, removing the soil completely and replanting it again, either in the same pot or in another.
Irrigation
Of all the cares, watering is one of the most important for the Othonna. It is recommended to water only from spring to autumn, leaving the winter season, and part of the autumn season, without watering.
When it comes to watering, you should not do it too excessively. It is better to wait for the soil to dry before watering again so that the leaves do not rot from the water. Also, it is not convenient to leave water in a tray because this can cause the plant to be lost.
Subscriber
In general, succulent plants are not fertilized, or if they are given something, it must be little. However, in the case of the Othonnas, they are fertilized during the spring and summer. The normal thing is that it is given every 15 days but it will depend on the size of this. If it is still young, once every two months will be enough, more if you have planted it recently.
Plagues and diseases
Succulents are plants that do not cause problems with pests or diseases. And in the case of Othonna it will not be different. Although, it is true that you should be aware of it, especially to avoid any disease related to soil fungi or due to problems such as a lack or shortage of lighting or irrigation.
One of the clear symptoms that things are not going well is related to the loss of leaves. If every time you touch an Othonna the leaves fall off easily, it means that it is in trouble and could end up getting lost.
For this reason, you will have to check the type of land it has, the irrigation it is given (whether it is abundant or not) as well as the light it receives. At times, the having it indoors may be the cause, since when it is taken out of the house (and if it is caught in time), it can be recovered.
Multiplication
Finally, we come to the spread of the Othonna. In this case it will depend on the species but are usually successful with propagation via leaves, stem cuttings or, in the case of plants with caudex, they will be more complicated (they can take root but not form the caudex.
Is it clearer to you now what the Othonna genre is like?
