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Anacampseros rufescens
The plant likes sunny habitat and partial shade.
Always water a few days after the substrate has dried out. In winter, limit watering.
It can tolerate -6.7 °C in the short term. However, the plant is not hardy.
White, relatively long hairs grow between the leaves to help the plant trap moisture in the air and survive dry periods.
Anacampseros rufescens, nicknamed Sand Rose, is a succulent plant found on rocky slopes, scrub and barren areas of the Eastern Cape in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa.
The fleshy leaves have a spiral arrangement along the thickened stem. In shaded areas they turn olive green, while in sunlight they take on a reddish-brown to purple colour. The undersides of the leaves are reddish to dark purple. The white hairs between the leaves help the plant survive droughts by trapping water vapour from the air. Anacampseros rufescens has upright or slowly creeping, branching stems and grows up to 8 cm tall, forming dense, low clumps.
The flowers range in colour from pink to pinkish-purple and appear on stems up to 10 cm long. They flower in late spring and summer, opening briefly in the afternoon on sunny days only, closing at dusk.
It is a small and relatively hardy succulent that impresses with its long hairs between the leaves, beautiful flowers and overall decorative appearance.