Gasteria pulchra

Gasteria pulchra is a short-stemmed, rosette-forming leaf succulent reaching heights of about 35 cm. The plant grows solitary or forms clumps through offsetting from suckers. Its roots are also succulent, becoming 3 mm in diameter.

Reddish pink flowers are produced in panicles that branch more on mature plants. The flower shape is typical of Gasteria, the stomach-shape of a curved tube bulging at the base. Flowering happens in winter and spring, peaking in early spring.

The species distribution is in the Eastern Cape in the mountainous and hilly scrub of the Kouga and Gamtoos River catchment areas, particularly the Baviaanskloof (Van Jaarsveld, et al, 2006; www.cactus-art.biz; www.plantzafrica.com).