Species · genus Huernia · Apocynaceae

Red Dragon Flower

Huernia schneideriana A.Berger

Also known as: Little Owl Eyes

Growth habit

succulent subshrub

Native range

Tanzania

Huernia schneideriana — reference photo — Daderot · CC0

Cultivars of H. schneideriana

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under H. schneideriana yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A Tanzanian stem succulent

Huernia schneideriana is a succulent subshrub in the family Apocynaceae, one of many species gathered under the genus Huernia. It belongs to a group best known for fleshy, often spiny green stems and small, patterned, bell or funnel-shaped flowers.

Source: Kew

Native to southwest Tanzania

This particular species was first described by A. Berger in 1913 and its native range is given as southwest Tanzania. It grows there as part of the seasonally dry tropical biome, the kind of habitat that shapes its water-storing habit. The wider genus Huernia spans a much larger stretch of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, from Nigeria and Eritrea down to South Africa.

Source: Kew

Fleshy stems, patterned flowers

As a member of Huernia, this plant carries the genus's hallmark green, thick, fleshy stems, which are often spiny. Its flowers follow the bell or funnel shape typical of the group, appearing in shades of red, yellow, or brown.

Source: RHS

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 21 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

10–29 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Stem-segment cuttings left to callus, then rooted

Fertilizing

Dilute cactus feed every 4-6 weeks in summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Small star-shaped lifesaver flowers in bright light

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Apocynaceae family commonly contains cardiac glycosides and irritant latex This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Red Dragon Flower yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.