Orostachys Chanetii, AKA Ta Hua Wa Song, as it's known in China, grows on Chinese rooftops opportunistically and naturally on rocky slopes and windswept hillsides in China. A Stonecrop succulent, it's a lover of stoney places like its many Stonecrop relatives. The last name Chanetii honors and remembers L. Chanet, a French plant collector from the early 1900s. Ta Hua Wa Song means Tower Flower, a nod to the elaborate, tall flower structure. You will see a pot of stars at first, in light, bright green, fat triangle leaves reaching up with blushing red tips, arranging themselves in an orderly fashion in a rosette, with usually a main star with a constellation of many, little stars around the edges, their mission to make a pot of stars. The plant gets to looking like a colony of sea anemones in a tidepool. The improbable flower is quite extravagant for this simple plant, a "tower", actually somewhat of a tall, stacked pyramid, 12" and taller, a sturdy, reddish/pinkish/greenish fleshy stem holding myriad buds opening to bright white, 5-petaled stars with a crown of white, hairy stamens and anthers within. It's so big it doesn't look like it's coming from the Orostachys, but it is. It blooms when it wants to and is pretty fun to watch for.
- Drought Tolerant
- Pet Friendly
- Low Maintenance
Quick Care Guide:
- Water - Low (1): Needs very little water to survive. Wait until the plant is completely dry then fully soak. Drought tolerant by nature.
- Light - High (5): Plant needs a lot of light; direct is even better. These plants do best when placed on a window sill or next to a bright window. Avoid concentrated, hot light from window which may cause burning (magnifying glass effect).
- Difficulty - Low (1): These plants need barely any attention to thrive. Set it and forget it.
View full breakdown of Care Guide here.