Cheiridopsis excavata – (No Common Name) Seed x20

A native of the Northern Cape of South Africa where it grows on poor, free-draining soils in the division of summer & winter rainfall. Care should be taken with the use of fertiliser as it is reported to have a dislike for potassium.

A low, mat-forming succulent that can have up to 120 branches, each bearing paired thick, keeled fleshy leaves. The stems are short but the nodes are not visible owing to the paired 2 or 4 thick, fleshy leaves. An evergreen that forms new leaves each year, the paired leaves are joined at the base, tapering and vertically compressed. The lower surface is keeled while the upper surface is flat and the leaf is an all-over grey-green.

During drought, the plant still produces new leaves at the expense of the older leaves. The water and biomass reserves in the older leaves are shared with the new leaves and if the drought continues the ensuing plant is smaller than the original. Once the rains come and the plant can take up sufficient water, the plant will fully expand to become larger than the original.

The flowers are 60 mm in diameter, usually yellow but cream to pink forms are known, appear from winter to spring (June to September in the Southern Hemisphere).