Erepsia inclaudens

Erepsia inclaudens is a densely branched leaf succulent, a shrublet that reaches 40 cm in height. This is one of the mesembs or in South Africa vygies that do not close their flowers at night, n altydvygie (always mesemb). 

The short, thick, three-sided leaves, triangular in cross-section, taper to sharp points. The margins near the tips tend to be red or purple, maybe more so in the dry, hot seasons. There are faint, whitish, marginal ridges.

The plant has a unique flower structure involving a hollow, concave ovary that forms a tube and makes the staminodes bend down and cover the stamens. Around this the spoon-shaped petals spread. The fruits are woody and lack closing bodies.

The species distribution is in the southwest of the Western Cape, from the Cape Peninsula to Paarl, Bredasdorp and the Overberg.

The habitat is fynbos in rocky crevices of sandstone. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2007; Smith, et al, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).