Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Wilman's Ebracteola (Ebracteola wilmaniae)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Wilman's Ebracteola, Wilman's Mesemb.

More about wilman's ebracteola

About Wilman's Ebracteola

Ebracteola wilmaniae · also called Wilman's Ebracteola, Wilman's Mesemb · houseplant

Wilman's Ebracteola is a rare, compact South African succulent in the Aizoaceae family endemic to the Namaqualand region. It forms low, fleshy rosettes with small, keeled leaves and produces cheerful pink-purple daisy-like flowers in late spring. A specialist collector's plant requiring very sharp drainage and maximum sun. Non-toxic to pets.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 · RHS H1c (8-28°C)

Watch for — Failure to flower: Requires maximum sun and a clear seasonal rest period. Keep drier and cooler in winter and increase water and light in spring to trigger flowering.

What wilman's ebracteola's hardiness rating actually means

Wilman's Ebracteola 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 — 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 5 °C (and never frost). Wilman's Ebracteola has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for wilman's ebracteola as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 wilman's ebracteola go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 wilman's ebracteola can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Wilman's Ebracteola hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is wilman's ebracteola cold hardy?

Wilman's Ebracteola 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. Wilman's Ebracteola can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature wilman's ebracteola can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Wilman's Ebracteola has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is wilman's ebracteola?

Wilman's Ebracteola is rated USDA 10-12 and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can wilman's ebracteola survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 wilman's ebracteola below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.