Gasteria nitida

G. nitida

Section Longiflorae, Series Multifariae

Gasteria nitida is a medium sized Gasteria which grows in the Eastern Cape. Its distribution area borders that of G. bicolor in the nort-west, of G. excelsa in the north and overlaps the smaller niche area's of G. glomerata, G. glauca, G. ellaphiae and G. pulchra. I have never seen it in habitat but apparently is grows in grassland quite in the open.

An adult plant may vaguely resemble a very young G. excelsa. However it will never get any bigger than 15-25cm and grows very slowly.

Juvenile nitida look very different than the adult form: a young plant is distichous with a warty surface while the adult form a rozette of triangular shiny leaves. Some say that G. armstrongii is a nitida stuck in infancy.

Gasteria nitida derives its name from its shiny leaf surface.

Juvenile G. nitida

Adult G. nitida

Plant shape

Juvenile G. nitida are distichous with strap like leaves, grass to dark green with a tubercled dull surface. They look very much like a G. armstrongii.

Adult G. nitida form a rozette of narrow or broad triangular leaves which are up to 15cm long. In some forms the leves remain straight and point skywards, in others they remain flat and curvy.

Some forms however never seem to reach the rozette phase and remain warty distichous for the rest of their lives. This variation is continuous from distichous to rozette form.

The leaf surface is smooth and shiny green in base colour with dispersed spots. The leaf margin is entire. The leaf tip has a small tooth.

G. nitida slowly produces offshoots from the base.

G. nitida flowers
© photo unknown author

Flowers

The inflorescence is branched and bright red near the top.

The flowers are slender and bright red and have distinct yellow throat. They are 2-2.5cm long.

Variability

G. nitida does not have any described varieties or subspecies. But is is a quite variable species with distichous forms, squat broad forms and forms with narrow pointy leaves.

Where

G. nitida occurs in an area which streches from near Uniondale in the western Langkloof to the Great Fish river in the east. It usually in the open amongst grass or other plants in full sun.

More pics

GA141, G. nitida east of Hankey. A form that remains distichous. Intermediate with G. armstrongii?