Huernia zebrina - Lifesaver Plant
Sprouts of BristolThis funky succulent stands out from the crowd with its multiple short stems of spiny foliage. As your plant grows, it will spread outwards and start to trail, so don't panic if it's growing sideways rather than upwards - this is normal! It will be best displayed somewhere you can admire this foliage growth. In summer, if your plant is happy, it may give you a display of its stunning flowers. The flowers are the most remarkable feature of this plant when in bloom, with a maroon or burgundy circle like a life ring (or polo mint) in the centre surrounded by star-like petals decorated with maroon and yellow stripes. Give this plant plenty of light and not too much water and it will be at its best in your home.
Scientific Name
Huernia zebrina (Heurnius' plant with zebra stripes)
Synonyms: Ceropegia zebrina
This plant was first identified in a 1909 paper under this name and has kept it ever since. Although it was referred to as Ceropegia zebrina in a paper in 2017, Huernia zebrina is still the accepted scientific name.
Common Name(s)
Lifesaver Cactus, Little Owl Cactus, Lifebuoy Huernia, Zebra-Striped Huernia, Zebra Cactus, Carrion Flower
Origin
Native to Africa - rocky, arid areas in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Provinces as well as Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique
Light
Give your Huernia somewhere bright with a little bit of direct sun. Too much direct sunlight can scorch its stems, while insufficient light may reduce flowering. An east- or west-facing window is ideal.
Water
Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Water sparingly, especially during winter when the plant won't be growing. Soggy soil can lead to root rot, so ensure the pot has proper drainage.
Humidity
Thrives in low humidity. Make sure you're keeping it somewhere with decent airflow that's not excessively damp.
Soil
Use a well-draining cactus or succulent soil; a mix with added sand or grit will work well. Make sure your pot has drainage holes. Repot every few years as the plant grows; you'll know it's ready to repot when the roots are crowding the pot.
Food
Feed once every two months during the growing season (spring and summer) with a diluted cactus or succulent fertiliser. Feeding is unnecessary in autumn and winter.
Temperature
Ideal temperatures are between 18-26°C. Protect from frost and avoid exposure to temperatures below 10°C.
Pet-safe
Yes, this plant is non-toxic to pets, making it a safe choice for households with animals.
Sprouts Top Tips
A big risk for this plant is giving it too much water; make sure the soil has totally dried out before you water again and this will help keep it happy!
The stems should droop a little, so don't worry if they are not upright. They will look best on a shelf or in a hanging pot where their dangly stems can be shown off.
Extras
The flowers of Huernia zebrina emit a faint scent similar to carrion, which helps attract pollinating flies. The scent is mild indoors, though, so don't be put off! The flowers are more than interesting enough to offset their odd smell.
Did You Know?
The genus Huernia was named by Robert Brown in honour of Dutch missionary Justin Heurnius, the first known collector of Cape of Good Hope plants. It was Brown who originated the misspelling of his name, and it stuck.
Important Information
If you have any questions, please check out the below or get in touch via our contact formWe're devoted to sending our customers quality plants with the best service around. Every plant is backed by our 7-day guarantee, so they arrive in good health.
Our team takes extra steps when prepping plants for transportation, but they're still sensitive to changes, so there may be minor cosmetic issues. We always aim to photograph and disclose any flaws before shipping, but a living creature travelling across the country in a box can take a hot minute to adjust to its new life.
If you have any issues within 7 days of receiving your order, holler at our customer support team on our contact form with your order details and some pics of the issue. After the guarantee has expired, though, we can't refund as we can't guarantee care and environmental factors. If you repot the plant during the 7 days, the guarantee is void.
We have been sending plants up and down the country for many year now and we like to think we have our way down to an art.
We protect the plant from falling out of the soil with tissue paper and tape if needed, then we wrap the plant in corrugated cardboard, and sometimes we protect the leaves with extra tissue paper if required. This is then placed into a box and if there is any empty space, we fill this with void fill to stop the plants moving around inside the box. Sometimes we will write a note on your packing slip to water the plant on arrival, so please look out for this. This is due a freshly watered plant going in a box will not only be soggy, but as the plant is in darkness this can sometimes make the plant unhappy when just freshly watered.
If your plant arrives to you unhappy, please send us a photo of the plant and packaging if relevant straight away, so we can advise you.
Online orders are packed and dispatched within a few days. Usually depending on volumes, we aim to get your order dispatched within 1 working day. We have collections from Royal Mail 6 days a week so deliveries tend to be speedy.
Our standard parcel delivery service is £4.99 for Royal Mail Tracked48, you can upgrade to Tracked24 for £2.50.
We do offer a Tracked48 Large Letter option for £2.99, and Tracked24 for £1 extra, but this only applies to products less than 2.5cm thick.
*Deliveries 7 days a week only included Tracked24 parcels.
Link to your shipping policy
We get a lot of boxes, packaging and whatnot at Sprouts from all our various supplier's deliveries. We re-use this packaging material where possible, plus we take in donations from local businesses and customers to our shop to avoid excess packaging going to landfill. Sometimes your delivery might look a little different, or come in a branded box from another company, but rest assured the items inside are carefully packed with love and attention inside. We use paper tape and all our branded materials included are fully recyclable. Sometimes we use polystyrene, bubble wrap or plastic wrap in the packaging, all these items are not new and where possible, please use them again.
We have partnered with Zedify to offer low-carbon deliveries in Central Bristol for £6.99.
Zedify collect and deliver orders from us Monday - Friday and will usually deliver your order the same day its collected. If you place your order before 11am, we will aim to get it collected the same day but this isnt always possible. When you have received your dispatch email, Zedify should be delivering your order the same day, anytime before 6pm.
We cannot give an idea of time, but if you would prefer delivery on a certain date (Monday - Friday) please get in touch or leave a note at check out with your preferred delivery date and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Zedify deliver to the following postcodes BS1, BS2, BS3, BS4, BS5, BS6, BS7, BS8 (1, 2, 3A - 3N, 4), BS9 (1,3,4).
Select click and collect at checkout to collect your order from our Bristol shop.
You will get an email when your order is ready to collect, where possible please come and collect your order the same day as we have limited space. If you are going to collect your order at a later date, please let us know in the message box at check out so we know when to expect you. Some items such as gift sets, kits and pre-order items may not be ready to collect the same day, again please let us know what day you would like to collect and we will let you know if there's any issues.
We do not offer free returns, but if you are unhappy with your delivery, please get in touch. If your parcel or order has been damaged, please take photos and send these over to our team so we can look into this for you.
If you have ordered an item and you would like to exchange it, we should be able to do this for you. There may be an extra charge for delivery, but get in touch to discuss. For plants there is a 7 day return policy and 30 days for everything else, apart from sale items which are none returnable.
You can return or exchange in our Bristol shop for free.
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