Over time, the plant produces a much-branched, flattened and irregularly shaped caudex up to 1m across and 50 cm high.
Rauh described the species as one of the most curious and remarkable succulents of Madagascar, but in one of his lighter moments also compared old plants to a pile of potatoes. The local people call the plants “wild ginger”.
Whatever you compare them to, in the resting state, when there are no leaves or flowers, the plants look like a piece of the quartz which surrounds them in nature (see picture above).
The stems are covered with silvery-grey bark which reflects much radiation and thereby reduces transpiration. This comes in handy in a habitat where on sunny days the surface temperatures may go up to 50-60 ° C (122-140 ° F).
The inflorescences usually bear two (sometimes up to five) yellow, salverform flowers, with or without a short stalk.
