Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Ox Tongue (Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Lilliput Ox Tongue, Dwarf Gasteria.

More about ox tongue

About Ox Tongue

Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana · also called Lilliput Ox Tongue, Dwarf Gasteria · houseplant

The Lilliput ox tongue is a tiny, slow-growing South African succulent with thick, dark-green tongue-shaped leaves flecked with pale spots. It forms low rosettes rarely exceeding 10 cm and offsets freely into clumps. Tolerant of lower light than most succulents, it suits windowsills and is regarded as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) · RHS H1c (10-27°C)

What ox tongue's hardiness rating actually means

Ox Tongue 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 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) — 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). Ox Tongue has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for ox tongue 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 ox tongue 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 ox tongue can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Ox Tongue hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is ox tongue cold hardy?

Ox Tongue 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. Ox Tongue can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature ox tongue can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is ox tongue?

Ox Tongue is rated USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can ox tongue 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 ox tongue 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.