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African Living Rock

Pleiospilos bolusii, Aizoaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called living rock cactus and Mimicry Plant.

African Living Rock (Pleiospilos bolusii), the whole plant.
Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Listed as non-toxic to cats by ASPCA.
  • Listed as non-toxic to dogs by ASPCA.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
How much to water depends on the growth cycle. It is dormant in summer and needs no water then.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
While growing, give small amounts of water on a regular basis and a low nitrogen liquid feed every 2 or 3 weeks.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
While growing, water sparingly but at regular intervals, and give a low-nitrogen liquid feed at intervals of two or three weeks.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
It may need a new pot every 2 years.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Seeds or division can be used for propagation.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
In early spring sow seed at 19-24°C, or use offsets.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Aphids can occur. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Flowers of African Living Rock (Pleiospilos bolusii).
FlowersMr.Rosewater, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
African Living Rock (Pleiospilos bolusii) growing in a pot.
In a potHugo Riquelme Ortega, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Pleiospilos bolusii, the mimicry plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae, native to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, where it grows at an elevation of 750–1,100 m (2,461–3,609 ft). The species epithet bolusii honours Harry Bolus, a 19th-century South African botanist.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
S. Cape Prov.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
South Africa
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
South Africa – Karoo
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
desert or dry shrubland
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
succulent perennial
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent; habit clumping
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Clump forming (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 1–3 in; width 1–6 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height Up to 10 cm; spread 0-0.1 metre after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, orange; blooms in fall, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers yellow in summer and autumn
RHS · read 13 September 2026

More of the Aizoaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.