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Products > Gasteria batesiana 'Pongola'
 
Gasteria batesiana 'Pongola' - Pongola Dam Gasteria

San Marcos Growers has permanently closed as a business. This is an archived page preserved for informational use.  

 
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Succulent
Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae)
Origin: South Africa (Africa)
Evergreen: Yes
Flower Color: Pink
Bloomtime: Summer
Height: <1 foot
Width: <1 foot
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Summer Dry: Yes
Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F
Gasteria batesiana 'Pongola' - A low growing Gasteria to under 1 foot tall that remains mostly solitary with rosettes of narrow long brown mottled dark green recurved green leaves and tubular pink and green flowers in the summer. Can grow in cool coastal full sun where foliage is more colorful but also in part sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigated only occasionally late spring to fall. Hardy to at least 25° F. An easy to grow plant and showy blooming plant that is a great addition to the shade succulent garden in the ground or in a large pot. The name for the genus comes from the Greek word 'gaster' meaning "stomach", in reference to the swollen shape of the base of the flower and the specific epithet honors John Bates, a trolley-bus conductor in London who was an avid succulent collector. This species is the most northerly of the genus, growing from northern Natal to the Olifants River valley in north-eastern Transvaal. This variety was collected from the Pongola Dam area, where it is found in shady south facing rocky slopes, by Pretoria National Botanic Garden nursery manager Dave Hardy. 

The information displayed on this page about Gasteria batesiana 'Pongola' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.

 
We closed for regular business at the end of 2025 in order for the property to be developed for affordable housing.
Our gates remain closed but we will open them by appointment to interested parties as we liquidate remaining supplies and equipment.
 
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