I enjoyed reading Suzanne's informative article on Erepsia lacera in vol.28 number 4. It is a plant I have in my collection and one that was on my 'horticultural challenge' list for a few years. I was pleased to know that I was not the only Mesemb grower in the UK giving this species greenhouse room and have decided to share my experiences growing the plant in Scotland.I originally came across the species in the summer of 1993 when 1 saw it listed in Roy Young's seed catalogue as Semnanthe lacera, a name which I tend to keep on my labels. At that time I was still fairly new to Mesembs and hungry for new species to try.Indeed, I cut my teeth on many Mesemb genera with seed purchased from Roy Young's regular lists. Once I had ascertained that Semnanthe was a Mesemb, by checking the name in Jacobsen's Lexicon of Succulent Plants, the seed was ordered.I germinated 2 of the 20 seeds from that first sowing. One perished fairly quickly, but the other grew robustly. In those early days of my Mesemb culture all plants from the family received very similar treatment. Unfortunately for Erepsia lacera that meant residing in a 2V* inch pot far longer than it should. Eventually it was potted up into a VA inch pot, where it remained for the rest of its stunted incarceration. After 3 or 4 years and reaching a miserable 12 inches in height it flowered. Just one flower, during early summer, which 1 didn't get the opportunity to photograph. Not long after, its difficult existance began to take its toll. The lower stem had become woody and brittle and the old, pot-bound roots, ineffectual. A rather bad case of rootmealie was the final straw and the plant just wasted away very quickly.I decided to try growing E. lacera again when possible. That opportunity arose in 2003 when I bought a packet of seed from Doug and Viv Rowlands' seed list. The seed was sown 6th May of that year and began germinating 18th May. Although there was a decent germination for some reason the seedlings never got past the early emergent stage and appeared to go into suspended animation. This lasted for about a week. Then, one by one, they shrivelled and disappeared. That was the moment when Erepsia lacera wasplaced on my horticultural challenge list.Another packet of seed was purchased from D&V in December 2005 and sown April 2006. This time I had no germination. Things were getting worse! Not admitting defeat, I bought another packet from the next catalogue and sowed the seed in February 2007. This time three seedlings germinated. All three grew well and in the summer, when approximately 4 inches high, they were planted together in one 8 inch pot.
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