Tag: Aizoaceae (Mesembryanthemaceae)

Gibbaeum pilosulum

Although in  several species of Gibbaeums the leaves have a velvety  cover, G. pilosulum is the only one with long, erect hairs. Apart from this, the species is very similar to G. nuciforme, which sometimes grows  less than a kilometre away.

The plants form compact mats to 13 cm in diameter, embedded in the ground. There are up to 10 leaf pairs, which are united and form egg-shaped, green to yellowish green bodies 0.5- 2 cm across with a short fissure at the tip.
The flowers are 1.2 – 1.6 cm in diameter and bright pink to purple; they appear in July-August.

Found in the western Little Karoo (Ladismith-Barrydale area), usually in quartz patches together with G. heathii.

 

 

Delosperma peersii

Plants of this species form small shrubs up to 50 cm tall with bright green leaves which are triangular in cross section and  about 1.5 cm long, spreading with a reddish, recurved tip.
The flowers are 1.5-2 cm in diameter, white to pink, often with 3 together; they appear from spring to summer.

The species does not occur in many places,  but is sometimes abundant in loamy soils from just west of Oudtshoorn to Willowmore.
The last picture was taken on the back road from Montagu and Anysberg. It seems to me that the plants in this population have all the typical characteristics of D. peersii, so the species may be more widely distributed than is recorded.

Brianhuntleya purpureostyla

These plants are either tufted or forming long runners.
The trigonous leaves are 3-6.5 cm long and their margins and keel have tiny teeth near the tip.
In June-July the flowers appear; they are solitary, about 3 cm in diameter, on 2-4 cm long stalks; the petals are pink to white with pinkish-purple central vein and sides.
As in the other two species in the genus (see also B. intrusa), the flowers turn into almost globular tumble fruits, lying on the ground and facing upwards.
The plants occur on stony slopes in the area between McGregor, Swellendam and Montagu.

Since its description as a Mesembryanthemum in 1920, the species has been placed in Erepsia, Ruschia, Acrodon and Cerochlamys.
If you are interested in the vagaries of its taxonomic history, search the Web for “A Gordion knot in Ruschioideae (Aizoaceae): Acrodon and Brianhuntleya in an attempt to disentangle the confusion” by Heidrun Hartmann and Ingeborg Niesler in Bradleya 30/2012, p. 33-60.

Antimima solida

The first name that comes to mind on seeing a plant of this species is probably Argyroderma fissum (unless you are a real expert of course).
The two species share the same growth form as well as size and shape of the leaves; often they also grow near to each other. Fortunately the fruits are rather different and stay on the plants for a long time. (The Antimima has fruits with 5 locules, whereas in Argyroderma fruits there are at least 10 compartments).
The finger-shaped leaves are up to 3 cm long. The flowers come mostly in threes and appear in May-July; they are pinkish-purple and 1.8-2.5 cm in diameter.

In some places the species forms large mats on flats or gentle loamy slopes with an open cover of quartz pebbles. According to the literature, it occurs in the Vredendal-Vanrhynsdorp area, but last year I also found plants in the northern half of the Knersvlakte.


Glottiphyllum suave

These compact plants rarely have more than 3 branches, each usually with two leaf-pairs.
The leaves are opposite and have sharp margins; they are thickened below, but without a hump.
Suavis means fragrant, referring to the nicely scented flowers, which are about 3 cm in diameter and appear in April-May.
Occurring on quartz and/or shaly sandstone in the western Little Karoo and the Laingsburg area.
The plants are similar to G. linguiforme, but with thicker leaves.

Drosanthemum lique

Plants of this species often occur in great quantities as pioneers in disturbed soil (see first picture). They occur throughout the Little Karoo to the Eastern Cape, form robust shrubs up to 1 m tall and are often heavily browsed.
The reddish-brown branches become rough with age and are characteristic for the species; they bear cylindrical leaves up to 1.1 cm long.
The flowers are pink-purple to dark purple and about 2.2 cm in diameter, appearing in spring and summer (Oct. – Feb.).

Pictures taken 3 December 2017.


Drosanthemum diversifolium

This species has a number of uncommon features, making it easy to recognise – once you know what to look for.
It is a small shrub up to 15 cm tall of which the short shoots are decked out with small spine-like projections and it has boat-shaped leaves to 1 cm long and 0.5 cm wide (those on upper shoots are more or less round). The leaves are covered with papillae which are more or less cobblestone-shaped, but much longer on the edges.
The flowers are solitary, pinkish-purple to almost white and to about 3 cm in diameter; they appear in July-September and are followed by fruits with 6 (instead of the usual 5) compartments.

The plants occur in deep soil usually covered with quartz pebbles, from Namaqualand to Clanwilliam.

 

Monilaria moniliformis (part 1 of 2)

Once you know that monile is the Latin word for a string of pearls and monilaria means a collection of strings of pearl, this repetitive tongue twister of a name may begin to make more sense.
But let’s forget about the name and look at the plants themselves.

The branches consist of flattish, rounded segments and may become up to 20 cm tall.
The flowers are to 4.5 cm in diameter, usually white (sometimes with a yellow tinge), with white, orange or purple filaments*.
They have a long stalk (to 10 cm tall), appear in July-August and are highly scented.
As a rule the plants grow fully exposed in loamy soil on quartz patches in the southernmost part of the Knersvlakte.
According to “MESEMBS OF THE WORLD”,  Monilaria plants are very long-lived, possibly centuries.

* the thread-like part of the stamen

All pictures shown here were taken late July 2017.

 

Hallianthus planus

Plants of this species are found from the Richtersveld to the Vanrhynsdorp area; they grow in crevices and small pans on rocky outcrops or steps of granite, sandstone or quartz. These specialised habitats retain more moisture than their surroundings: rather important in an area with usually less than 100 mm rain per year.

They form low shrublets with a central head and trailing branches which do not root at the nodes.
The leaves are three-sided, often laterally compressed, brown to dark green.
In June-July the flowers appear with 3-5 together (rarely solitary);  they are up to 3.5 cm in diameter with white, purple or bicoloured petals and filamentous staminodes gathered in a central cone.
The fruits have 7-12 (usually 10) compartments, with the top higher than the basal part.


Antimima fenestrata (part 1 of 2)

This is the last of the Antimima trio I mentioned before (see A. evoluta and A. turneriana).
The plants are unlike any other succulent (although when I saw them first, they strangely enough reminded me of Mammillaria saboae) and form attractive compact shrublets to 12 cm tall, looking like a miniature tree.
The mauve to magenta flowers are 1.5 cm in diameter and appear in June-July.

To be found on limestone outcrops with marble on the southern Knersvlakte.