Tag: Meyerophytum

Meyerophytum meyeri

These peculiar plants produce leaves of two kinds: the first pairs of the season are egg shaped, forming a bilobed body; the second ones are much longer than wide, with the leaves free for about two thirds of their length.
The plants are cushion-shaped and up to about 30 cm in diameter. They are found from the Richtersveld to southern Namaqualand, in loamy soil, often with quartz pebbles.
The flowers appear in winter and are either dark pink throughout, or rose with a white base, or white (turning pink with age).

The first two pictures were taken 6 Sept. 2010 (look at the Crassula elegans and Conophytum saxetanum keeping the first plant company)

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The flowering plants were photographed 11 July 2011

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Meyerophytum globosum

When I saw these peculiar plants first (1 April 2012), I was quite surprised, especially because there were so many of them. If it had not been in such a remote area I might even have wondered if someone was trying to make an April-fool of me.
Of  the literature at my disposal, only the Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants came up with a name and a description. It also told me that the species used to be  a member of the genus Monilaria.
The pictures were taken at Riethuis in Namaqualand and show plants in the resting stage. When they are in active growth, the plants look totally different, with much longer leaves (up to 70 mm long instead of at most 17 mm in the resting period). You can see the remains of these long leaves on top of the “globes”
Although the plants occur in a small area only, they form large populations there.

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