''Glottiphyllum fergusoniae'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plant, of 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 ...

. It is indigenous to the western part of the

Little Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...

, in 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 ...

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 ...

Description

The leaves are decussate (produced in alternate, perpendicular pairs) slender, erect and tapering gradually to a point. They are covered in a fine, pale waxy covering that gives the leaves a slight grey colour. The seed capsule is held close to the plant, has valves with awns, and even after it has dried out and released its seeds, it remains persistent on the plant, for many years.

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs in the western part of the

. It is often found around the towns of

Barrydale Barrydale is a village located on the border of the Overberg and Klein Karoo regions of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. It was named after Joseph Barry, a well known merchant of the 19th century. It is situated at the northern end of th ...

and Montagu. Here it grows exposed, in very rocky habitats, often in crevices. ''

Glottiphyllum depressum ''Glottiphyllum depressum'' is a common species of succulent plant, of the family Aizoaceae, native to South Africa. It is probably the most widespread species of ''Glottiphyllum'', after ''Glottiphyllum longum'', and one of the most commonly fo ...

'', which co-occurs with it in the same areas, is found only on shadier, more sheltered spots, growing in deeper soils. A third species, ''

Glottiphyllum suave ''Glottiphyllum suave'' is a species of succulent plant, in the family Aizoaceae. It is indigenous to arid areas of the western Little Karoo, in the Western Cape, South Africa. Description Each growth point bears a small number of compact, fles ...

'' occurs just to the north of its range, also in the western

, has a pale waxy covering to its leaves, and favours exposed positions.Heidrun E.K. Hartmann, Horst Gölling: ''A monograph on the genus Glottiphyllum (Mesembryanthema, Aizoaceae)''. Bradleya 11, 1993.

References

fergusoniae Taxa named by Louisa Bolus {{Aizoaceae-stub