Adromischus filicaulis

Adromischus filicaulis, commonly known in Afrikaans as duikerballetjies (little duiker balls), is a dwarf leaf succulent, a sprawling perennial reaching 20 cm in height when in flower. Adventitious roots grow at stem nodes. The species is highly variable and slow-growing.

The leaves may be spotted, and sometimes flattened, although always thick and succulent. 

There are two subspecies: subsp. filicaulis and subsp. marlothii only differ in the latter growing stilt roots from stem nodes and occurring in a larger distribution. While subsp. filicaulis grows from the Richtersveld to the Knersvlakte, subsp. marlothii’s distribution extends to the Little and Great Karoo, slightly into arid parts of the Eastern Cape.

The habitat is varied and semi-arid to arid, the plants surviving in shade of bigger plants, mainly karoid scrub. The habitat populations of both subspecies are deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century. 

This plant is cared for in greenhouse conditions in the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden. The slightly wrinkled leaves display the effects of the drought and heat conditions the plant would likely experience in habitat during March (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist; http://llifle.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).