I have this plant for 6 years and this is the very first time I see the flower. In those 6 years I lost it almost twice and managed to recover it twice. Right now it looks pretty good and is about the same size when I got it. So we are kind of back to the start. But it is alive. And that makes me happy :)
Cotyledon tomentosa
It is one of 3 different Cotyledons I have/had. One is long time gone, second one is barely alive and I think it will be gone soon. And this one is doing good now, but it was close...
First I had it in community pot that was too big and too much spring rain almost rot it. I took the cuttings that were ok and started to grow it all over. Then later I dunno what happened it just started to lose leaves and I got all naked, dead branches, except one little stem. Again, I took that one alive stem and planted it as a cutting. This time I moved it from the balcony and keep it inside on the windowsill.
And it will stay there!
This succulent is native to South Africa and grows on fast draining soil, which would explain why it almost rotted ones - too much rain. Now I tend to forget to water it and it seems to like it more than too much care.
The common name for this plant is Bear's paw and you can probably guess why. The chubby and furry leaves resemble paws especially when the little tips turn dark with some stress or more sun. Besides that they are so freaking nice to touch! The fur they have feels like velvet and it a pure joy to pet them (of only were a bit bigger).
Flowers have the same shape as my other cotyledon (when it was alive and bloomed), but the colour is very bleh. I saw online some nice peach and red shades. It would have been much nicer to have one of those.
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.
