Glottiphyllum Peersii on:
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''Glottiphyllum peersii'' is a rare
This species can be distinguished by its bright, white margins on its slender, upcurved leaves.
The leaves grow in pairs, that each appear in a decussate arrangement (each leaf-pair at right angles to the previous one, rather than all in the same two distichous rows). Each leaf-pair is also strongly anisophyllous (one leaf is much larger than the other). The larger leaf of each pair has a notch at its base, and the other is very much smaller.
It most resembles its close relative, ''
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 ...
of 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, 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 ...
. It is indigenous to arid areas near Klaarstroom
Klaarstroom is a village in Prince Albert Local Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
It is situated at the northern end of Meiringspoort, about 60 km east of Prince Albert and 95 km north-west of Uniondale. Origin ...
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
This species can be distinguished by its bright, white margins on its slender, upcurved leaves.
The leaves grow in pairs, that each appear in a decussate arrangement (each leaf-pair at right angles to the previous one, rather than all in the same two distichous rows). Each leaf-pair is also strongly anisophyllous (one leaf is much larger than the other). The larger leaf of each pair has a notch at its base, and the other is very much smaller.
It most resembles its close relative, ''Glottiphyllum difforme
''Glottiphyllum'' is a genus of about 57 species of succulent subtropical plants of the family Aizoaceae. It is closely related to the ''Gibbaeum'' and '' Faucaria'' genera. The name comes from ancient Greek γλωττίς ''glottis'' "tongue" an ...
'', that grows to the east. However ''G. difforme'' has leaves with large, broad teeth.Heidrun E.K. Hartmann, Horst Gölling: ''A monograph on the genus Glottiphyllum (Mesembryanthema, Aizoaceae)''. Bradleya 11, 1993.
References
peersii Taxa named by Louisa Bolus {{Aizoaceae-stub