Cotyledon pendens

Cotyledon pendens, the trailing cotyledon, is a succulent plant with captivating, long trailing stems covered in small, fleshy, grey-green leaves and large orange bell-shaped flowers, highly decorative in late spring and summer. It is a lovely plant for decorating hanging baskets, tall planters, and dry rockeries. In temperate climates, it is mainly grown in pots, outdoors during the fine season, and then sheltered from the cold in winter. Its cultivation is not difficult in a very free-draining substrate.

Botanically, Cotyledon pendens belongs to the Crassulaceae family. This South African species is native to south-facing shale cliffs along the Mbashe River in the Eastern Cape, between 300 and 400 metres above sea level, in a region with hot summers and dry winters, almost frost-free. Its hardiness is around -2°C at its lowest in dry soil.
It is a small, perennial, trailing succulent shrub; the flexible and pendulous stems reach 50-60 cm in length, sometimes more on older specimens, and gradually become woody at the base. The roots anchor deeply into rock crevices. The young stems, about 2 mm in diameter, are slightly hairy and covered with a whitish bloom. The leaves, arranged in opposite, closely spaced pairs on the stem, are elliptical to ovoid in shape, 1.8 to 2.5 cm long, 1 to 1.5 cm wide, and 7 to 10 mm thick, ending in a small, distinct point. Their grey-green to grey-bluish epidermis is covered with a fine bloom, and the edge turns red under strong light. This foliage is evergreen in winter.
The flowers develop at the ends of the stems, in the form of pendulous panicles that can bear up to four large flowers, carried on a fairly long pedicel. The flowers, in upturned bell shapes, measure 4 to 4.5 cm long by 1.2 to 1.5 cm wide. Their colour ranges from orange to deep red. They appear from June to August-September.
In nature, the long stems can root when they come into contact with a damp crevice, ensuring the vegetative propagation of the plant; in cultivation, it is easily propagated by cuttings from stem segments or even from leaves.

Cotyledon pendens is a tender perennial, best suited to the mildest coastal regions or, more generally, to pot cultivation. It will thrive outdoors, on the terrace or balcony during summer. This succulent plant needs very bright light, with a little light shade during the hottest hours (especially behind a window) and a substrate such as a cactus mix. Water it moderately from spring to early autumn, allowing the substrate to dry out between waterings, then keep it almost dry in winter, at an ideal temperature between 5 and 10°C; it is prudent to bring it indoors as soon as the thermometer approaches 0°C.

To showcase it, place the trailing cotyledon in a hanging basket, a bowl placed on a low wall, or a large, elevated pot, allowing its stems to trail freely. It pairs well with the golden cushions of Sedum reflexum ‘Angelina’, the rosettes of Echeveria ‘Perle von Nurnberg’, or the flowering carpets of Delosperma cooperi ‘Wheels of Wonder Violet’.
In a dry seaside garden, it can be planted at the top of a stony slope, combined with a few small hardy agaves. On a balcony, a single pot is enough to give architectural character to a railing, provided you follow the golden rule for this species: plenty of light, little water, and no frost.

Only described in 2003 by the South African botanist Ernst van Jaarsveld from plants collected on the Mbashe cliffs, Cotyledon pendens is distinguished from Cotyledon woodii notably by its distinctly trailing habit and its branching inflorescences. The specific name pendens comes from Latin and directly refers to its pendulous stems.