How to care for Ox Tongue
Gasteria obliqua · Asphodelaceae
A compact South African succulent with thick, tongue-shaped leaves stacked in two ranks, often speckled with white tubercles. Slower growing and more shade-tolerant than most succulents, it thrives on windowsills where aloes would stretch. Mature plants send up arching stalks of curved, stomach-shaped pink flowers. Water roughly every 14 days while it's growing (about every 30 in winter), give it bright, indirect light, kept above 50°F (10°C) — dry air is fine for it.
Care at a glance
Water deeply when the soil is fully dry, keeping water out of the leaf rosette where it can pool and rot the crown.
An east window or a spot slightly back from a south window is ideal; harsh midday sun turns leaves reddish and can scorch them.
A cactus fertilizer at half strength once or twice during spring and summer is plenty.
Mistakes that kill this plant
- Watering into the rosette so moisture sits at the crown.
- Keeping it in dense, water-retentive potting soil instead of a gritty mix.
- Placing it in blazing full sun expecting it to behave like a cactus.
Seasonal tips
- Watch for flower spikes in late winter to spring — a sign the plant is happy.
- Cut watering roughly in half in winter when growth stalls.
- Separate offsets in spring for easy new plants.
Is it safe for pets?
We couldn’t place Ox Tongue on a toxic or a non-toxic list, so its toxicity is unconfirmed — which is not the same as safe.
Full pet-safety details for cats & dogsCare for your Ox Tongue on autopilot
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Toxicity here is informational, not a safety guarantee. Those are our own records, compiled by following the ASPCA's published toxic and non-toxic plant lists and Pet Poison Helpline's plant poison list rather than copied from them — confirm anything that matters against those lists or with your vet. If your pet ingested this plant, contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.