''Pleiospilos nelii'', the split rock, splitrock or living granite, 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 ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to South Africa. It grows in semi-arid areas with rainfall of between 150mm and 300mm, in the

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 ...

of South Africa.

Etymology

The species epithet ''nelii'' honours the South African botanist Gert Cornelius Nel. The common name "split rock" refers to the appearance of the plant's leaves.

Description

''Pleiospilos nelii'' is a

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 ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

which can reach a height of and a diameter of about . This very short-stemmed, nearly stemless plant has one or more pairs of opposite, almost hemispherical, grey-green or brownish leaves. The surface of the leaves has many small dark spots. A new pair of leaves is produced each year, replacing an older pair. This plant closely resembles a small cracked rock (hence the common name), an appearance which may have evolved as a defence against

herbivory A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

. The superficially daisy-like flowers are yellow-orange, across, and emerge from the plant's apical bud. The flowers are large in relation to the size of the plant. Each flower opens in the afternoon and closes at sunset, over a bloom period of several days.

Cultivation

''P. nelii'' is one of several plants cultivated for their rocklike appearance. They are sometimes collectively called mesembs. In

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions it is grown under glass for protection from excessive rain and hard freezes. It has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Gallery

Pleiospilos nelii form.jpg File:Pleiospilos nelii1000.jpg, Plants with roots File:Pleiospilos_nelii_Oakland.jpg

References

Plant ListAfrican Plant DatabaseTropicosSANBI PlantZAfrica.com - Pleiospilos nelii

Bibliography

# AFPD. 2008. African Flowering Plants Database - Base de Donnees des Plantes a Fleurs D'Afrique. # Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. Welman, E. Reitief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. v. Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa 2(1–2): 1–152(pt. 1), 1–270(pt. 2). # Fl. Pl. Africa 47: t.1865B (1983). # Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 106: 475 (1986). # Il. Handbook succulent plants: Aizoaceae F-Z : 220 (2001). # Aloe 43 &3 31 (2006). nelii Flora of South Africa Plants described in 1930 {{Aizoaceae-stub