Cheiridopsis ponderosa | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Aizoaceae |
Genus: | Cheiridopsis |
Species: | C. ponderosa
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Binomial name | |
Cheiridopsis ponderosa S.A.Hammer
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Cheiridopsis ponderosa is a species of succulent plant from South Africa.
This succulent subshrub grows to a height of 15 cm (5.9 in) with a diameter of 25 cm (9.8 in). Plants become densely clumped and sort stemmed with age. [1] Thick and densely papillate leaves grow in pairs. [1] [2] The leaves in each pair grow relatively close together. [1] They are grey green in colour, with a rounded keel and may have minute teeth near the tip. [1] [2] The leaf margins are translucent. [1]
Cup-shaped flowers are present in August and September. [3] They are large and solitarily borne. The petals are yellow in colour. [3] The fruits are 10-locular and have a velvety texture. [2] [3] They are spherical below. [1]
Cheiridopsis ponderosa is endemic to the Northern Cape of South Africa. [4] It grows on quartzite slopes and flats in the lower Richtersveld region, where it has been found growing on Skimmelberg, near Grasvlakte. [3]
This species is considered to be of least concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. [4]