miniatures Archives - Page 7 of 11

Crassula congesta (1)

In 1985, Volume 14 of the Flora of southern Africa was published, in which H. R. Toelken dealt with the familie Crassulaceae. His description of Crassula congesta starts with the word “Biennials”. In other words, plants that germinate and grow in the first year, and flower and set seeds in the second year, after which they die.
So far so good, but … A couple of years before (1977), “A revision of the genus Crassula in southern Africa” by the same botanist had been published by the Bolus Herbarium. In this publication it is stated that:
“These plants are described as biennials but this is true only under favourable conditions. In the field, the plants often become much older before they flower but usually the whole plant dies after flowering. The plants are usually monocarpic * but regeneration after flowering may sometimes occur, but usually only when the plant has been injured and/or if the terminal inflorescence was cut of”.
* A monocarpic plant flowers only once and then dies after the seeds have ripened.

There are two subspecies:
ssp. congesta, which has leaves that are curved upwards and is found North and Northeast of the Witteberge and
ssp. laticephala, with the leaves curved downwards and occurring Southeast of that mountain range, as far East as Oudtshoorn.
In this post only pictures of the latter subspecies are shown.

Deilanthe peersii (2)

The first picture gives an impression of one of its other habitats (just northwest of the northern entrance to the Meiringspoort). The plants shown in the other pictures grow at that locality. All pics 18 Sept. 2011.

Deilanthe peersii (1)

Deilanthe comprises only three species and is usually incorporated in Aloinopsis.
D. hilmarii has erect leaves about as wide as thick.
D. peersii and D. thudichumii have more spreading and much wider leaves. They are in fact so similar that the Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants tells us that they are distinguished only by
–1 the fact that the flowers of D. thudichumii are open between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. and those of D. peersii between 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
— 2 some differences in flower morphology
— 3 different pollinators.
Not surprisingly, the book also suggests that D. thudichumii “may therefore be better placed as a subspecies in D. peersii”.
D. peersii, like its siblings, produces a very fat rootstock with quite short stems, each forming only one pair of velvety leaves per season. The plants occur from Laingsburg in the southwest to Fauresmith in the northeast. The rainfall is mostly in summer.
Although the species is widespread, it is not well known. It is probably often overlooked because the plants are low on the ground and the dark grey or brownish leaves are similar to the surrounding shale.

The first picture was taken near the eastern entrance to the Anysberg Nature Resereve (26 Sept. 2006). The other two show plants growing next to the road from Klaarstroom to Willowmore, just east of the provincial border (26 Dec. 2012).

Anacampseros comptonii (2)

The last picture shows a plant in cultivation.

Anacampseros comptonii (1)

When you have a first look at the kind of habitat this species is found in, it looks bare and desolate.
The photo below was made in the beginning of April after good rains, so one would expect a lot of activity going on. And there is, but the plants growing here are so small, that you have to look properly to see them. Accidentally, the other interesting dwarf succulent growing in this spot near Nieuwoudtville is a Conophytum named after the same person (Prof R.H. Compton, the second director of the National Botanical Gardens in South Africa). More about that at a later stage.

The plants grow in very shallow depressions in flat sandstone rocks. After rains, the depressions are filled with water and the little plants are often completely submerged for some time. The following picture was taken in September.

In the dry period the plants are often almost invisible (the picture below was taken in November). Can you see the little caudexes?

The last picture gives a better idea of how charming these miniatures are when in flower (the caudexes are only 1-2 cm in diameter and 1-1.5 cm tall) .

Crassula alstonii

It is probably safe to say that C. alstonii cannot be confused with any other plant species because of its unique appearance. The leaves are arranged in two rows and closely adpressed – at least in nature; in cultivation this is difficult to maintain. Each of the almost spherical rosettes is 2-5 cm in diameter.
The plants are found in northern Namaqualand, from just south of Lekkersing to near Komaggas, where they grow on low, gently sloping hills usually covered with quartzite gravel. This is a rather restricted distribution area, but in some places the plants are quite common.

Gibbaeum nebrownii (2)

Gibbaeum nebrownii (1)

It has taken me a couple of years to be at the right spot at the right time to photograph this species in flower. I knew of only one small locality, some 130 kms from where I lived and the few times I went there they were not in flower. Nowadays I live much nearer, but the main thing is that I found out that the plants flower a few months earlier than almost all other Gibbaeums (late April and early May). Anyway, yesterday I went there with two friends and lo and behold: there they were, in full bloom.
“The Gibbaeum Handbook” by G. C. Nel (1953), gives the following information:
The shale hillocks, on which it seems to thrive best, consist of laminated shales and are entirely devoid, at times, of any other vegetation. They are quite bare and G. nebrownii is embedded in the soil and only the top surface is exposed. During the hot summer months, it is withdrawn into the soil and one only sees a brown membrane, the remainder of the old leaves, and is, consequently, very difficult to find. It resembles a Lithops or an Ophthalmophyllum in this respect. It is squeezed into the crevices between the slate layers”.
The species is only found sporadically in the western part of the Little Karoo.

The first two pictures were taken 30 June 2013, the others 4 May 2014

Anacampseros albidiflora (2)

Anacampseros albidiflora (1)

Plants of this species are found widespread in the Great and Little Karoo on stony slopes, usually sheltered by rocks or bushes. They are columnar and relatively thick, up to 4 cm tall (when not in flower).
The flowers are white to pale pink and appear mainly from October to January.