Biology:Cheiridopsis pilosula

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Short description: South African succulent species

Cheiridopsis pilosula
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Cheiridopsis
Species:
C. pilosula
Binomial name
Cheiridopsis pilosula
L.Bolus

Cheiridopsis pilosula is a species of succulent plant from Namaqualand in the Northern Cape of South Africa.

Description

This succulent subshrub becomes raggedly clumped and lank with age. It grows up to 15 cm (5.9 in) tall, with a diameter of 25 cm (9.8 in).[1] The pale blue-grey leaves are slender and densely covered in hairs.[1][2] They do not have teeth and are prominently keeled.[1]

Flowers are preset in August and September. They are yellow in colour and are borne solitarily.[3] While some populations have unicoloured petaloid staminodes, other populations have bi-coloured staminodes, in which the bottom third is white and the remaining two-thirds are yellow.[2] The fruits are 10-locular and cylindrical below.[3] They are covered in papillae, giving them a rough or velvety texture.[2] The seeds are also covered in papilae.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Cheiridopsis pilosula is endemic to the Northern Cape of South Africa , where it grows on quartzite flats and slopes.[3][4] It grows in the Richtersveld region, where it grows on the Stinkfontein Mountains and Klipbok.[3]

Conservation

This species is considered to be of least concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 e-Flora of South Africa. v1.36. 2022. South African National Biodiversity Institute. http://ipt.sanbi.org.za/iptsanbi/resource?r=flora_descriptions&v=1.36
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Klak, C.; Helme, N. A.; Bruyns, P. V. (2015-01-01). "Cheiridopsis alba-oculata (Aizoaceae: Ruschioideae, Ruschieae) — A new quartz-endemic from southern Namaqualand, South Africa" (in en). South African Journal of Botany 96: 1–5. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2014.11.001. ISSN 0254-6299. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254629914001926. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Snijman, D.A. (2013). Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Regionn, Vol. 2: the Extra Cape flora. Strelitzia. John Manning, Peter Goldblatt. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute. ISBN 978-1-919976-74-7. OCLC 866860203. https://www.sanbi.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/strelitzia-30-2013.pdf. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Burgoyne, P.M. 2006. Cheiridopsis pilosula L.Bolus. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2020.1. Accessed on 6 February 2023

Wikidata ☰ Q15564945 entry