Dyckia Grand Marnier

Dyckia 'Grand Marnier' is a perennial plant with a succulent appearance that amazes and seduces with its silver starfish-like appearance. This variety, native to the high plateaus of Brazil, forms a beautiful rosette of curved or even twisted leaves, with a green-silver appearance that becomes almost white during dry periods, abundantly bordered with white spines. The mature plant produces tall flowering stems with small yellow-orange flowers that are rich in nectar. As it perishes below -1°C, this variety is cultivated in a pot to overwinter without freezing. 

Dyckia 'Grand Marnier' is not a true succulent plant despite appearances. It is a terrestrial Bromeliad related to pineapple, Fascicularia, and Guzmania, for example. This variety is probably very close to the species, Dyckia marnier-lapostollei, endemic to the mountainous regions of central Brazil. The genus Dyckia encompasses around 120 botanical species native to arid regions of South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). In their original regions, these perennials are adapted to a hot but highly contrasting climate, characterized by heavy seasonal rainfall followed by extremely dry conditions. In our climates, they will tolerate drought perfectly from October to April but will appreciate some periodic watering in summer, during their growth period. They thrive in poor and well-drained soils. Unlike true succulent plants, Dyckia does not store water in its thick leaves.

Dyckia 'Grand Marnier' develops a rosette about 25-30cm (10-12in) wide composed of about ten wide, thick, and rigid leaves, strongly curved, tapering to a point, with spiny margins (be careful when handling). Their base colour is a medium green, but they are covered with white bristles. The foliage remains all year round. It is more or less silver depending on the dryness and sunlight received by the plant, ranging from green-silver to almost white. Each leaf is bordered by numerous small, white, and curved teeth that should be taken into account. Each rosette will flower when mature, after a few years of cultivation. Its summer flowering is decorative and nectar-rich: a floral stem rising to 90cm (35in) from the ground, on the periphery of the rosette, bears small bright yellow-orange tube-shaped flowers from which nectar flows. In Dyckia, the rosette does not die after flowering.

This Dyckia 'Grand Marnier' will delight collectors of cacti and other succulent plants. In coastal gardens spared from frost, it will find the conditions it appreciates when planted in a sunny rockery. Its shape and colour allow for interesting combinations in a collection of Mangaves, Agave, or Aloes. This Dyckia adds a very "xeric" charm to any decor. It can be placed in a nice pot filled with cactus soil on the terrace or balcony to overwinter without freezing, in a cold greenhouse or a slightly heated conservatory. To accompany it, also consider Puya, plants from arid places that are happy in a mild climate like Dyckia.