Conophytum stephanii is a small
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 ...
n species of ''
Conophytum
''Conophytum'' is a genus of South African and Namibian succulent plants that belong to the family Aizoaceae. The name is derived from the Latin ''conus'' (cone) and Greek ''phytum'' (plant). The plants are also known as knopies (buttons in A ...
'' succulents named after German plant collector Paul Stephan, who tended the succulent collection at the
Hamburg Botanic Garden in
Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. The plant was first described by Dr. Schwantes in 1929 and published in "Die Gartenwelt" 33:25.
[Rawe R. 1975 The genus Conophytum section Costata Schwantes amended Tischer subsection Verrucosa Schwantes amended Tischer. Cact. Succ. J. (USA) 47. (3): 126-132 (1975) Illustrations, dot map. Geog=5 Systematics: ANGIOSPERMAE (AIZOACEAE: CONOPHYTUM) (, 197500690).]
Description
Plants are small and mat forming, with clusters measuring between in diameter, though old plants may sometimes reach . Bodies are
obconical
In botany, an obconic is an inverted cone shape. The term is most frequently applied to certain fruit or hypanthium structures with the apical end attached to the stem; however, less frequently the usage may apply to the pistil structure. In the ca ...
in shape, papillate, and greyish green to deep green in colour. Flowers appear in late autumn, and are nocturnal, strongly scented and off-white to yellow in color.
Distribution
''Conophytum stephanii'' grows in
Namaqualand
Namaqualand ( Khoikhoi: "Nama-kwa" meaning Nama Khoi 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 int ...
, South Africa, mainly between the towns of
Steinkopf and
Port Nolloth
Port Nolloth is a town and seaport in the Namaqualand region on the northwestern coast of South Africa, northwest of Springbok. It is the seat of the Richtersveld Local Municipality.
The port was previously a transshipment point for copper fro ...
. Two subspecies are currently recognized: ''ssp. stephanii'' and ''ssp. helmutii''.
References
Further reading
*Hammer, S.(2002) ''Dumpling and his wife: New views of the genus Conophytum'' EAE Creative Colour Ltd. .
*Hammer, S.(1993) ''The genus Conophytum : A Conograph'' Succulent Plant Publications, Pretoria. .
*National Botanical Institute of South Africa.(1993) ''List of Southern African Succulent Plants'' Umdaus Press.
*Hammer S. 1998 A note on Conophytum pellucidum Schwantes and C. terricolor Tischer. Mesemb. Stud. Group Bull. 13. (4): 74-75 (1998) - En Geog=5 Systematics: ANGIOSPERMAE (AIZOACEAE: CONOPHYTUM) South Africa (, 199804669).
*Wagner GF. 1996 Conophytum N.E. Br.: Variabilitat der Populationen in der Sektion Pellucida (Schwantes) Tischer ex S.A. Hammer. Teil 2. And. Sukk. 14no.28. (2): 1–4, 12-15 (1996) - col. illus. Ge (En) Icones, Maps. Geog=5 Systematics: ANGIOSPERMAE (AIZOACEAE: CONOPHYTUM) (, 200101181).
stephanii
Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces
Namaqualand
{{Aizoaceae-stub