enjoysucculents

Curio sulcicalyx

This interesting little plant from southern Namibia and Namaqualand (as far south as Bitterfontein), comes under a variety of names: Senecio sulcicalyx, S. klinghardtianus, S. iosensis, Othonna/Senecio/Kleinia pusilla (pusillus).
It has a preference for rock crevices.

A great part of the plant is underground with rhizomes and tuberous roots.
The branches are up to 5 cm long. The leaves are 1 -2.5 cm long and 0.7-1.2 cm wide, sometimes shortly hairy.
Although the flower heads are usually white to mauve, in certain forms they are yellow; they appear from February to July.

Aloe arenicola (bont-ot’korrie, sand aloe, sand aalwyn)

This species only occurs on the very dry sandy* coastal plain on the west coast of South Africa, from the mouth of the Orange river in the north to Lambert’s Bay in the south.
Most of the moisture in this narrow strip is provided by mist from the Atlantic. As a result of mining activities and overgrazing, the species is considered to be vulnerable.

The plants form dense groups 15-40 cm tall. These consist of numerous creeping stems up to 1 m long of which only the leafy upper 20-30 cm are erect. The leaves are up to 20 cm long.
Flowering takes place from July in the north to January in the south.

Juvenile plants differ greatly in appearance, having thin stems with long internodes and small leaves. This is the form most often seen in cultivation, where it is often grown as a hanging plant.

*arenicola = sand dweller.

Vanzijlia annulata

There is only a single species in the genus Vanzijlia, occurring in sand along the west coast, from Saldanha to Hondeklipbay and inland towards Clanwilliam on loam.

The plants form small tangled shrubs, with branches creeping or growing upwards into other shrubs. They have dimorphic leaf pairs:
– a smaller, nearly completely fused pair which is oblong or spherical, with or without small free points to the leaves
– a larger pair in which the leaves are more or less cylindrical or semi-cylindrical and only fused at the base (often inflated there).
The pale pink to white flowers are solitary, 2.5 to 6 cm in diameter and appear in late autumn to winter (May-September). After pollination they develop into capsules with 9 or 10 compartments.

Euphorbia schoenlandii (Noordpol)

With its robust columns up to 1.3 m tall and up to 20 cm in diameter, this species is often easily spotted from far away. Its distribution area is southern Namaqualand, where it occurs on sandy/loamy flats.
The stems are simple or rarely branched and have large hexagonal tubercles and short-lived leaves. They are decorated with sharp hard spines which are derived from sterile peduncles and up to 5 cm long.
The inflorescences (cyathia) are usually solitary on short peduncles and appear in April-June.

E. fasciculata is similar, but much smaller and does not have sharp pointed spines.

A rare crested specimen

Stomatium suaveolens

Stomatium is one of the few genera of the Aizoaceae with obviously scented flowers. This species even derives its name from that fact (suaveolens = with a sweet smell).
The plants form compact, flat to somewhat rounded clumps with rough leaves which are 1-2 cm long, 0.9-1.5 cm wide and 0.7-0.9 cm thick.
Usually the yellow flowers appear in May-July; they are to 1.5 cm in diameter and open in the evening.
The species occurs on flat rock slabs (see first picture) in the Fraserburg – Sutherland – Williston area, where severe frost is a normal phenomenon in winter.
In the second picture you may also spot Crassula corallina.

Haworthia maraisii v. maraisii

The pictures below were made on the edge of a Eucalyptus forest a few hundred meters from my home. As is usual for them, the plants occur here on rocky outcrops, well hidden in patches of coarse sand or between stones.
They slowly form small groups of rosettes. Each rosette is 4 -7 cm in diameter, consisting of few to many, dark green to brown leaves which are usually flat above and rough with raised tubercles; the margins and keel are decorated with small spines.
In March- May the plants produce inflorescences up to 30 cm tall with white flowers (often with a yellow throat).

Accompanied by Adromischus filicaulis ssp. marlothii

Euphorbia colliculina (vingerpol)

Only known from 4 localities between Calitzdorp and De Rust in the Little Karoo, this species is highly endangered by habitat loss and degradation (caused by ostrich farming and quarrying as well as soil erosion and urban expansion). The situation is further exacerbated by ruthless collecting.
It is a member of the medusoid (caput-medusae) group: the plant consists of a large caudex, an underground tuber and rings of erect to spreading branches which are 3-12 cm long and to 2 cm thick.
The species is said to be close to E. fortuita occurring further west in the Ladismith area.

Crassula deltoidea (katakiso)

Within its distribution area from southeastern Namibia through Bushmanland to the Little Karoo and the Cradock area, this species is widespread and often locally abundant on bare gravelly flats, lower slopes and ridges.
In spite of their lack of “rarity appeal”, it is always a joy to meet these plants in the field, because they are not only beautiful, but also show a great variation in size, shape and colour. Unfortunately it is rather difficult to keep the plants neat and compact in cultivation.

In nature, its fleshy, erect to spreading branches give the plants a height of up to about 8 cm.
The leaves are rather variable in shape and size, up to 2 cm long and to 1.5 cm wide, inversely lance-shaped to diamond- or almond-shaped, with a flat to concave upper face and a strongly convex to keeled lower one; they are covered with small warts and grey wax flakes, and sometimes have a greenish, purplish or brownish hue.
The flowers are about 5 mm long, usually cream-coloured, but sometimes white or pinkish. They appear in October and November.

Cephalophyllum subulatoides

Only three species of Cephalophyllum are known to occur in the Little Karoo and this is one of them; it also occurs somewhat more to the west, in the Worcester-Robertson Karoo. The other two are C. curtophyllum and C. purpureo-album.

With their short thick stems, the plants are rather more compact than most other Cephalophyllums. They form clumps up to 15 cm in diameter, the centres of which die off with age.
The dark green leaves are 5.5-8 cm long, triangular with a sharp point (subulatoides means awl-shaped).
In July-August the plants are decorated with magenta flowers about 3 cm in diameter. The staminodes are white.
The fruits are persistent; they have a rounded base and about 12 compartments.

Stomatium alboroseum

Whereas nearly all species of Stomatium have yellow flowers, here – as the name implies- the flowers are white to pink. They are about 2.5 cm across and heavily scented; they begin to open only near sunset. The flowering period is stated as August to December.
The plants vary from compact and somewhat dome-shaped to flattish and forming mats up to 8 cm in diameter with age.
The leaves are spoon-shaped to trigonous, 2-2.5 long, about 1 cm long and about 0.7 cm thick; they have an inconspicuous keel, wavy margins with 3-6 small white, teeth-like warts and a very rough skin.
Occurring on sandy flats or pans with a high content of lime in Namaqualand and southwestern Bushmanland.