''Meyerophytum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

succulent plant 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 ...

s 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 ...

, indigenous to the arid region of 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 ...

and

Richtersveld The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to crag ...

, in the far north-west of

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 ...

. The species are small succulent shrubs that grow short slender stems, at the top of which the succulent leaves appear in alternating pairs. Similar to the closely related genera of ''

Monilaria ''Monilaria'' is a genus of plants in the Family (biology), family ''Aizoaceae''. List of species * ''Monilaria brevifolia'' L.Bolus * ''Monilaria chrysoleuca'' Schwantes * ''Monilaria globosa'' (L.Bolus) L.Bolus * ''Monilaria luckhoffii'' L.Bo ...

'' and ''

Mitrophyllum ''Mitrophyllum'' is a genus of succulent plants of the family Aizoaceae, indigenous to the arid region around the Richtersveld, on the border of South Africa and Namibia. Description The species generally grow stems, at the top of which two s ...

'', these leaf-pairs alternate consecutively between two different types of leaf-growth (heterophylly) and during the exceptionally hot summer they remain inactive in a dry sheath. They produce purple or white flowers in spring and rely on winter rainfall in their dry environment. Of the two recorded species, '' Meyerophytum meyeri'' is relatively common in the Namaqualand, but '' Meyerophytum globosum'' has a more restricted natural range and is threatened by mining and cattle farming.

Species

References

External links