Conophytum piluliforme

Conophytum piluliforme
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Conophytum
Species: C. piluliforme
Binomial name
Conophytum piluliforme
(Thunb.) N.E.Br.

Conophytum piluliforme is a small South African species of succulent plant of the genus Conophytum.

Description

Small, mat-forming succulent, with purple flowers. It is closely related to its neighbouring species Conophytum joubertii which has white flowers, Conophytum ficiforme just to the west, and to the widespread Conophytum truncatum.[1]

Distribution and habitat

This species is indigenous to the far western corner of the Little Karoo region, in the Western Cape of South Africa. It occurs around Montagu, Barrydale, and as far as Ladismith in the east.

They grow primarily in the winter, when rainfall swell them. After flowering, they go into dormancy through the summer, when they are covered in a dry papery sheath. They inhabit extremely well-drained soil, in spots protected by rocks or bushes. They split and crack if they receive too much water.[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conophytum piluliforme.

Further reading


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.