Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Barnim's Dorstenia (Dorstenia barnimiana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Barnim's Dorstenia.

More about barnim's dorstenia

About Barnim's Dorstenia

Dorstenia barnimiana · also called Barnim's Dorstenia · houseplant

Dorstenia barnimiana is a small tuberous caudiciform succulent native across tropical Africa from Cameroon to Zambia and into southern Arabia. It produces a compact tuber and slender stems with lush, mid-green leaves and characteristic flat shield-shaped flower heads. Grow warm with bright indirect light, consistent summer watering, and reduced water in winter rest.

Cold limit: USDA 10b–12 · RHS H1b (18–30°C; min 10°C)

Watch for — Leaf yellowing and drop: Sudden yellowing and leaf loss can indicate cold stress (temperatures below 15°C), waterlogging, or low humidity causing desiccation. Check roots for rot, ensure temperatures stay above 18°C, and assess whether humidity needs to be raised.

What barnim's dorstenia's hardiness rating actually means

Barnim's Dorstenia is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10b–12 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Barnim's Dorstenia has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for barnim's dorstenia as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can barnim's dorstenia go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when barnim's dorstenia can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Barnim's Dorstenia hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is barnim's dorstenia cold hardy?

Barnim's Dorstenia is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Barnim's Dorstenia can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10b–12); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature barnim's dorstenia can survive?

What hardiness zone is barnim's dorstenia?

Barnim's Dorstenia is rated USDA 10b–12 and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can barnim's dorstenia survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to barnim's dorstenia below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.