''Acrodon bellidiflorus'', the common tiptoothfig, is a mesemb species from South Africa.

Description

''Acrodon bellidiflorus'' is a compact succulent perennial plant.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 It has a woody taproot with fine roots growing off it. This is the only species in its genus where this trait is common The deep green leaves are triangular. They have a persistent that turns black with age. The keel and margins may be smooth or may have three or four flexible teeth with broad bases. The number of teeth may also vary between populations. The eastern populations have short visible internodes. Internodes are not visible in other populations. The flowers are white or pale pink in colour and have a diameter of about . There is only a single flower at the tip of each flowering branch. They are present between April and July.

Distribution and habitat

This species is endemic to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It is found growing between McGregor and

Bredasdorp Bredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about south-east of Cape Town and north of Cape Agu ...

and the

Klein Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe Khoemana (also known as !Orakobab or Korana) word is a semidesert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is ...

. It grows in areas that have renosterveld, coastal fynbos or grassland biomes.

Taxonomy

Initially, ''Acrodon bellidiflorus'' was the only species in its genus. A closer examination of ''

Ruschia ''Ruschia'' is a genus of succulent plant, in the family Aizoaceae, indigenous to the dryer parts of southern Africa. Description Typical features of the genus include grey or blue-green succulent leaves, that are 3-sided or triangular in cross- ...

'' in 1986, however, found that several species shared traits with ''Acrodon bellidiflorus'', resulting in them being moved to the genus ''Acrodon''.

Conservation

This species is considered to be of least concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.Burgoyne, P.M. 2006
Acrodon bellidiflorus (L.) N.E.Br. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2020.1.
Accessed on 20 January 2023

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15611515 Plants described in 1927 Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces Succulent plants bellidiflorus