Pleiospilos bolusii

Pleiospilos bolusii, the mimicry plant,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae, native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where it grows at an altitude of 750–1,100 m (2,461–3,609 ft). The species epithet bolusii honours Harry Bolus, a 19th-century South African botanist.

Pleiospilos bolusii
Pleiospilos bolusii at the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Genova
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Pleiospilos
Species:
P. bolusii
Binomial name
Pleiospilos bolusii
Synonyms
  • Mesembryanthemum bolusii Hook.f. basonym
  • Pleiospilos beaufortensis L.Bolus (1939)
  • Pleiospilos barbarae Karrer

It is a small, stemless succulent perennial growing to 8 cm (3 in) tall by 15 cm (6 in) wide, with two or four opposite grey-green leaves, quite thick, fused at the base, almost triangular, with entire margins. The leaves are longer and more angular than those of the closely related P. nelii,[2] but in both cases the shape and texture of the leaves resemble a pile of split pebbles, possibly to deter predators. The yellow, many-petaled, daisy-like flowers emerge from the center of the leaves, and are 6–8 cm (2–3 in) in diameter - large in relation to the overall size of the plant. The flowers are often coconut-scented.[3] The flowering period extends from August to September.

The plant is one of several species cultivated for their rocklike appearance, which are sometimes collectively called mesembs. With a minimum temperature of 7 °C (45 °F), in temperate regions it is grown under glass. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[1][4]

  • Pleiospilos bolusii and Lithops hookerii
  • Pleiospilos bolusii flowering
  • Flower of Pleiospilos bolusii

References
  1. "RHS Plant Selector - Pleiospilos bolusii". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  2. "Succulent gardening - Pleiospilos bolusii". Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  3. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  4. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 80. Retrieved 7 May 2018.

Bibliography
  • AFPD. 2008. African Flowering Plants Database - Base de Donnees des Plantes a Fleurs D'Afrique.
  • Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. Welman, E. Reitief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. v. Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa 2(1–2): 1–152(pt. 1), 1–270(pt. 2).
  • Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 106: 474 (1986).
  • II. Handbook succulent plants: Aizoaceae F-Z : 219 (2001


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