Baby Sun Rose – 10 Seeds

Baby Sun Rose (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium), formerly known as Aptenia cordifolia, is an evergreen and rapidly growing succulent in the iceplant family, native to South Africa. It is a low-growing ground cover succulent that forms a dense mat with many branching stems that emerge from a woody base.

The fleshy stems reach up to 15 cm. The succulent leaves are fleshy and bright green, have a flat, oval to heart-shaped form and are up 3 cm long. The plant It develops small, pinkish-purple blossoms with yellow centers in the leaf axils. The plant is edible, with the leaves often used in a similar fashion to spinach. It is suitable for container plantings and looks great in hanging baskets. The plants are subject to root rot in continually moist soil, so only water sparingly.

Common names: baby sun rose, Heartleaved Midday Flower, Heartleaf Iceplant,.red aptenia (Eng.); rooi brakvygie, brakvygie (Afr.); Ibohlololo, uncolozi omncane (Zulu)

Growing Baby Sun Rose

Indoor Sowing: Late Winter and Early Spring

Outdoor Sowing: Summer

• Mix equal parts sand and compost or else use a succulent seedling mix.
• Fill a seedling tray with the soil mix.
• Moisten the soil and press it down firmly.
• Scatter the seeds on top of the surface of the soil mix. Do not cover the seeds with soil, as it needs light to germinate.
• Keep the soil mixture moist by bottom watering the tray or misting the seeds with a spray bottle.
• Optimal temperature for germination is 18-20ºC.
• Transplant seedlings when big enough to handle.