''Conophytum calculus'' 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 in the family

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is d ...

Description

Conophytum calculus - Namaqualand - South Africa 5

Conophytum calculus (Aizoaceae) (37312204386)

Rounded ball-shaped succulent plant, that divides to form dense clumps. The resemblance to pebbles and the firmness of its flesh is what got it its name (''"calculus"'' is Latin for ''"pebble"''). It produces yellow or orange flowers in autumn, that open at night, and have the aroma of

cloves Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, s ...

. The ball shape is formed from the plant's leaf-pair having fused entirely, leaving only a tiny slit at the top, where the flower and the succeeding leaf pair pushes through. The new leaf-pair forms inside the ball. When it is ready, the ball of the old leaf-pair shrivels and dries out, before it is split open by the new leaf-pair ball. The epidermis (and therefore the dried leaf sheath too) is thick and strong. The plants are extremely long-lived, and individuals have been kept in cultivation for over 50 years. They offset slowly, forming clumps.

Subspecies

* ''C. calculus'' subsp. ''calculus''. The type subspecies has round uniformly grey-green heads, smooth sheaths, and offsets to form mounds. * ''C. calculus'' subsp. ''vanzylii'' (Lavis) S.A.Hammer. This form has smaller, paler, less scented flowers, marked sheaths, a more variable colour, and a more depressed, flattish, globose shape.

Distribution

Conophytum ''Conophytum'' is a genus of South African and Namibian succulent plants that belong to the family Aizoaceae. The name is derived from the Latin ''conus'' (cone) and Greek ''phytum'' (plant). The plants are also known as knopies (buttons in ...

s'' are all indigenous to the winter rainfall regions of southern Africa. ''Conophytum calculus'' subsp. ''calculus'' is restricted to the ''"Knersvlakte"'' region, in the far north-west of the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

Province,

. Here it is confined to the area between

Bitterfontein Bitterfontein is a village in the Knersvlakte, the northernmost area of the Western Cape province of South Africa, north of Cape Town. It is the railhead of a line from Cape Town; ore from the copper mines at Okiep is transferred there from road t ...

and Holsrivier. The subspecies ''vanzylii'' occurs over 100 km to the north, in the western part of Bushmanland. The ''"Knersvlakte"'' is a region of white, quartz pebble-fields. Therefore in spite of the semi-arid climate and desiccating sun, the soil is typically quite cool (due to the reflective white of the quartz pebble-fields). The clove-scented flowers are pollinated by moths at night.

Cultivation

This species is popular in cultivation. However it requires much bright light, very well-drained sand, and specific winter-watering conditions. They thrive in pots, in a mildly-acidic, coarse, extremely well-drained, soil-sand mix. In winter they can be lightly watered (from spring right through to autumn) and given bright morning light with afternoon shade. In summer they go dormant, and should be kept mostly dry and can even be partially shaded. The plant produces obvious wrinkles when it requires more water. It cracks and splits open when it receives too much water. It elongates and keeps multiple leaf pairs if it does not receive enough light. They can be propagated by cuttings, subdivision of clumps, or by seed.Conophytum calculus - Information page
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References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15605000

calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...