Cow Tongue
Family
Asphodelaceae
Native
Eastern Cape, South Africa
Description
It can be distinguished by its long, smooth, slender, ascending, sharp pointed leaves. It sometimes develops a short ascending stem too.
Young plants have distichous, strap shaped leaves. In mature plants, the upper surface of the leaves becomes channeled and concave, while the lower surface becomes convex with a keel. Leaves are smooth and dark green, with white spots in bands.
Environment
Most grow well in lower light situations and so can perform fairly well as indoor plants as long as one is prepared to deal with the associated problems with parasites and fungus. Most Gasterias like a lot of light, though, and tend to be much healthier the more light they get, as long as it is not hot and grow quite well in winter even where there is a lot of rain
Landscape Uses
make excellent potted plants and also these species grows on rocky outcrops, in grasslands or pampas, on plains and walls.
