''Conophytum breve'' is a small
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
n species of succulent plant of the genus ''Conophytum''.
Description
''Conophytum breve'' has small, smooth, rounded heads, and offsets to form irregular clumps. The epidermis is a chalky grey to glaucous green, without any spots or markings. It resembles very closely its relative ''
Conophytum calculus
''Conophytum calculus'' is a small South African species of succulent plant in the family Aizoaceae.
Description
Rounded ball-shaped succulent plant, that divides to form dense clumps. The resemblance to pebbles and the firmness of its flesh ...
'', but is much smaller and forms more uneven clusters.
Relatives and distinguishing features
It is closely related to ''
Conophytum pageae'', with which it is often conflated. However ''C.breve'' is smaller, with more rounded heads and a more grey-green colour. It is also related to the larger species ''
Conophytum calculus
''Conophytum calculus'' is a small South African species of succulent plant in the family Aizoaceae.
Description
Rounded ball-shaped succulent plant, that divides to form dense clumps. The resemblance to pebbles and the firmness of its flesh ...
'' (which is much larger) and to ''
Conophytum stevens-jonesianum'' (which is covered with spots).
Distribution
This species is indigenous to the
Namaqualand
Namaqualand (khoekhoe: "Nama-kwa" meaning Nama Khoe people's land) is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over and covering a total area of . It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into ...
, in the far west of the
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...
Province,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
It produces yellow flowers in autumn.
Conophytum breve - distribution
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References
Further reading
*Hammer,S.(2002) ''Dumpling and his wife: New views of the genus Conophytum'' EAE Creative Colour Ltd. .
*Hammer,S.(1993) ''The genus Conophytum : A Conograph'' Succulent Plant Publications, Pretoria. .
*National Botanical Institute of South Africa.(1993) ''List of Southern African Succulent Plants'' Umdaus Press.
External links
breve
A breve (, less often , neuter form of the Latin "short, brief") is the diacritic mark ˘, shaped like the bottom half of a circle. As used in Ancient Greek, it is also called , . It resembles the caron (the wedge or in Czech, in Slo ...
Endemic flora of South Africa
Flora of the Cape Provinces
Namaqualand
Plants described in 1925
Taxa named by N. E. Brown
{{Aizoaceae-stub