Bear’s Paw succulent or Cotyledon tomentosa is a member of the Crassulaceae family. It is native to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Cotyledon tomentosa is referred to as Bear’s Paw succulent because its leaves are shaped like a Bear’s Paw. They are also very soft.
The history of Cotyledon tomentosa is limited.
There are around 1,600 to 1,800 species of the Crassulacae family.
🪴 Appearance of Bear’s Paw Succulent
Bear’s Paw leaves are green, chunky, fuzzy and shaped-like a bear’s Paw. This succulent grows from a compact rosette, and on stems.
☀️ What Light Does Bear’s Paw Need?
Bear’s Paw thrives in a mixture of bright and indirect light. They like a few hours of sun in the morning with more indirect light in the afternoon.
🌡️ What Temperature and Humidity do Bear’s Paw Like? 🌫️
Bear’s Paw like temperatures between 15-24 degrees celsius, and lower humidity. Since they come from arid regions, they prefer drier air, but do well in average household humidity levels (40-60%). You just don’t want to put it too close to your humidifier.
I keep my succulent closer to the window and further from the humidifier (I use the Levoit Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier (LV600HH)). I use my humidifier to ensure the humidity levels in my apartment stay between 40% and 60%. Since I live in Canada and the winters can be very dry, and the humidity can drop below 30% humidity, so its helpful to set the humidity at about 45% or 50% in this season to keep all of my plants happy.
🌱 How Does the Bear’s Paw Succulent Grow?
On average, Bear’s Paw grow as tall as 12″. New foliage grows like offshoots from the main plant. The offshoots are rosettes and they are made up of many leaves.
🌸 Does the Bear’s Paw Succulent Bloom?
This plant does in fact flower. They usually are tall and slender and reddish-orange.
✂️ How to Propagate Bear’s Paw?
The easiest way to start a new Bear’s Paw succulent is by stem. This is unusual for a succulent, which are typically propagated by their leaves.
- Stem Cuttings: Choose a leaf with the stem from a healthy adult plant. Make sure the stem is included in the cutting or this method won’t work. Wait for the cutting to callus over in a well lit spot. This should take a couple of days. Once the callus is formed, you can pot it into a well-draining potting mix.
Patience is key with propagation. Give your new plant time to settle into its environment. Once you see new growth, you know your plant is well established.
🪴 When to Repot the Bear’s Paw Succulent
Signs your succulent are ready to be repotted include:
- Roots growing out of the drainage holes
- It has been 1.5 to 2 years since you changed the soil
- The plant looks much larger than the pot it is in
To learn how to repot this plant, watch the video below.
💧 How Much Water Does the Bear’s Paw Need?
As Bear’s Paw is a succulent, it likes to dry out between waterings. To determine if your plant needs water, you can stick your finger in the soil (1 to 2 inches) and if it is dry, its ready for water!
If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, you can try a moisture meter (I personally have not used one, but I know quite a few people who do, and this one is really highly rated on Amazon).
This plant typically needs to be watered every 2 to 4 weeks (depending on your environment).
I typically bottom water this plant through the drainage hole of the pot on a tray. It’s the easiest way to know if your plant is thirsty or not. Overwatering can lead to fungus gnats, root rot, or the death of your plant.
You can top water, but it’s best to do so in a pot with drainage until water is flowing out of the hole. If your pot doesn’t have drainage, you might accidentally drown your plant or make some fungus gnats very happy.
You should top water from time to time to make sure any built up minerals can wash through the plant. The water should drip out of the bottom of your drainage hole.
🪳 Pests & Problems 😔
Bear’s Paw are fairly pest tolerant, however they can face the following pests and problems.
🪳 Pests
- Mealy Bugs: these look like little white cotton balls on the plant. You can remove these with your fingers if you catch them early enough, but I would use a cotton swab with a drop of Isopropyl alcohol and try to scrape them off the stem.
- Scale: I’ve never personally had scale (knock on wood) and I am very thankful. Scale are small, brownish, round or oval insects that attach themselves to the leaves or stems of the plant. They are hard to notice as they appear like a growth or bump on the plant. Scale can cause yellowing, wilting, and weakened growth. Removing scale from a plant is tedious, like with mealybugs. You can remove scale by manually removing them with a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol, using insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.
- Aphids: Aphids are small, insects that cluster under leaves and stems. They can appear white, brown, black, gray, light green or yellow. If you see distortion, wilting or yellowing leaves, this can be a sign of aphids. You should be able to spray them off with a strong stream of water or using insecticidal soap.
😔 Other Common Problems
- Overwatering: Root rot happens from overwatering your plant with insufficient drainage. You can improve the drainage of your plant by ensuring your plant is potted in a planter with a drainage hole and using a well draining soil (something with a decent amount of perlite). You can also end up with fungus gnats or fungal disease from overwatering.
- Sunburn: Even though you will often find this plant in bright, sunny environments, they can be burned. Just like in humans plants can burn. Their leaves can start to turn red, yellow, white, bleached or sometimes kind of purple. To fix sunburn in the succulent you can move it to a less sunny place.
☢️ Is the Bear’s Paw Succulent Toxic?
Bear’s Paw is typically safe to humans, but can be toxic to both pets and humans if ingested in large quantities.
Bear’s Paw Quick Care Guide
| Scientific Name | Cotyledon tomentosa |
| Nickname | Bear’s Paw Succulent |
| Origins | Eastern Cape Province of South Africa |
| Light | Bright, direct (only for a couple hrs a day) and indirect, medium-light. |
| Temperature | 15-24 degrees celsius |
| Humidity | Low |
| Height | Up to 12″ |
| Blooms | Yes, it can in summer |
| Propagate | Stem cuttings, offsets/pups, division, leaf cuttings |
| Water Frequency | When dry (likely once a month) |
| Pests | Mealy Bugs, Aphids, Scale |
| Common Problems | Overwatering (root rot), fungal disease, sunburn, overcrowding |
| Toxicity | Mild (not safe when ingested) |
