Blue gem is a small, low-growing resurrection plant that forms a carpet of leaves and blue or purple flowers in ideal conditions. It survives drought by drying out and reviving after rain, so it suits dry, sunny spots with good drainage.
Family
Linderniaceae (Linderni family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly and let the soil dry out fully between waterings; it revives after rain, so overwatering is the main risk.
Soil
Free-draining sandy or gritty mix.
Temperature
18-30 °C; protect below 5 °C
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Trop. & Northern Prov., SW. Arabian Pen., India
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
About
Craterostigma plantagineum, is a resurrection plant species in the genus Craterostigma. It is a dwarf growing plant and can be found (in ideal conditions) to make a 'carpet' across the ground, with blooms in shades of blue and purple. It is a well-studied desiccation-tolerant species known for its extreme vegetative tolerance against dehydration and desiccation. It is native to parts of Africa and to India. It is known as a resurrection plant (meaning it can dry out and stay dormant for long periods and then come back to life after some rain).
Where it grows
Craterostigma plantagineum is native to some tropical parts of Africa and Temperate Asia.
Uses
It has been medically used in folk medicine in Botswana, an infusion of the roots was taken for the treatment of abdominal pains.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Craterostigma plantagineum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.