While specific growth windows fluctuate slightly between northern and southern species, the genus universally operates on a highly strict, non-negotiable split developmental cycle. They initiate vegetative cellular activity during the heat of summer, leading to late-summer and autumn blooms of daisy-like yellow or white flowers. The critical phase occurs during winter and early spring: the plants enter a dynamic internal rest where they must not receive a single drop of water. During this dry winter phase, the outer pair of leaves slowly wrinkles as the plant transfers all of its stored moisture and nutrients to regenerate a brand-new pair of leaves developing deep inside the core. In cultivation, they are incredibly unforgiving of improper watering; they require a radically lean, inorganic substrate (like an 80% to 90% pumice and granite grit mix) and must be kept bone-dry until the old, outer leaves have completely shriveled into paper-thin husks in late spring. Water should only be applied thoroughly when the new leaf pair is fully established and shows signs of wrinkling during the warm months.