Aloinopsis schooneesii

Aloinopsis schooneesii is a dwarf succulent endemic to South Africa’s Eastern Cape, where it grows in dry, rocky habitats with well-drained soils. It forms compact rosettes of thick, grey-green leaves covered in raised tubercles, giving them a textured, stone-like appearance that helps with camouflage in its native terrain. During the cooler months, typically winter, it produces daisy-like flowers in shades of bronze to orange, often with a paler centre. The species is adapted to arid conditions, storing water in its fleshy leaves and relying on a winter growth cycle aligned with seasonal rainfall in its natural environment.

Care Tips

• Light: Requires full sun to very bright light for compact growth and flowering.
• Water: Water sparingly, mainly in the cooler growing season; keep almost dry in summer dormancy.
• Media: Needs a very free-draining gritty mix suited to mesembs and dwarf succulents.
• Fertiliser: Apply a diluted low-nitrogen fertiliser during the active winter growth phase.
• Temperature: Prefers cool to warm conditions; tolerates light frost if kept dry but best above 5 °C.
• Repotting: Repot infrequently, only when clumps enlarge; disturbance is minimal for best growth.