''Meyerophytum'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

succulent plant 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'', meanin ...

s of the family

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae (), or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1,800 species. Several genera are commonly known as 'ice plants' or 'carpet weeds'. The Aizoaceae are also referred to a ...

, indigenous to the arid region of the

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 ...

and

Richtersveld The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to cragg ...

, in the far north-west of

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 ...

. The species are small succulent shrubs that grow short slender stems, at the top of which the succulent leaves appear in alternating pairs. Similar to the closely related genera of '' Monilaria'' and '' Mitrophyllum'', these leaf-pairs alternate consecutively between two different types of leaf-growth (heterophylly) and during the exceptionally hot summer they remain inactive in a dry sheath. They produce purple or white flowers in spring and rely on winter rainfall in their dry environment. Of the two recorded species, '' Meyerophytum meyeri'' is relatively common in the Namaqualand, but '' Meyerophytum globosum'' has a more restricted natural range and is threatened by mining and cattle farming.

Species

* '' Meyerophytum globosum'' * '' Meyerophytum meyeri'' Source:

References

Aizoaceae Aizoaceae genera {{Aizoaceae-stub