Ruschia maxima (HBG 35175)

Description

Ruschia are among the most widespread plants of the Succulent Karoo, yet they have been largely overlooked for years by both botanists and horticulturalists. To play devils advocate, these often lanky shrubs are fairly inconspicuous compared to more iconic succulent endemics, and the species are separated mostly by very nuanced details. Still, we find them to be charming and underappreciated candidates for landscaping, with certain species deserving a place alongside the more familiar mesembs in cultivation. This species, as its epithet suggests, is one of the largest in the genus. The chunky succulent leaves rise from surprisingly thin woody branches, and the red-stressed margins make it far more eye-catching than your typical ice plant. Hardy and resilient, they can take both frosts and full sun. Our plants are propagated from material ex Huntington Botanic Garden (HBG 33175, ISI 2006), originally from seed collected on “north-facing rocks and scree of the Bobbejaansberg, Western Cape, South Africa.”