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''Titanopsis'' is a
They are small plants, with rosette up to 10 cm high.
Leaves are up to 3 cm with truncate tip and rough warty little tubercles at the apex of the leaves. They look like limestone and are hard to see in the wild.
Yellow flowers with 2 cm diameter appear in late fall.
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of about 10 species of succulent plants of the family Aizoaceae
The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1800 species. They are commonly known as ice plants or carpet weeds. They are often called vygies in South Africa and Ne ...
, indigenous to the arid regions of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
and Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
.
The name ''Titanopsis'' is derived from the Greek (god), '' Titan'', the sun, and ''opsis'', appearance, from the sun-like appearance of the flower.
Distribution
The genus has a disjunct distribution, occurring in three separate areas of southern Africa: southern Namibia, the region around the south-eastern border of Namibia and a larger area spanning between the former Cape Province and Orange Free State inSouth Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. This unusual distribution means that the different ''Titanopsis'' species live in different rainfall systems - either summer or winter rainfall depending on the species.
Description
They are small plants, with rosette up to 10 cm high.
Leaves are up to 3 cm with truncate tip and rough warty little tubercles at the apex of the leaves. They look like limestone and are hard to see in the wild.
Yellow flowers with 2 cm diameter appear in late fall.
Species
Plants of the World Online accepts the following species:Cultivation
Cultivation is easy with full sun, very well-drained soil, and attention to the natural rainfall of the particular species' habitat. The more popular species from the eastern areas, such as '' Titanopsis calcarea'', ''fulleri'' and ''luederitzii'' are adapted to summer rainfall, while those from further west, rarer species such as ''Titanopsis schwantesii'' and ''hugo-schlecteri'', are adapted to winter rainfall, when they also flower. The plants arecalcicole
A calcicole, calciphyte or calciphile is a plant that thrives in lime rich soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown ...
(=they appreciate calcareous soils), but any typical loose succulent soil mix is suitable.
Division of larger clumps is possible in some cases, but as most species have tuberous rootstocks and offset slowly, seed production is the most common method of propagation.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q138435 Aizoaceae Aizoaceae genera