Adromischus triflorus

Adromischus triflorus
Author: Ivan Lätti
Photographer: Thabo Maphisa

Adromischus triflorus, commonly known in Afrikaans as eendevoet (duck's foot), is a small, creeping, succulent shrublet growing 35 cm tall when in flower.

The simple, erect, leaves are thickly succulent, in shape triangular, oval or wedge-like, grown in branched rosettes on the ground. There is a cream-coloured, horny ridge along the often flat-topped upper margin part of each leaf. The flat leaf-tip has two rounded corners and there are red speckles scattered, especially near the leaf-tips. The rest of the leaf surface is pale silvery grey with a slight greenish tint.

The inflorescence grows on an erect stalk, the flowers grouped in a spike-like thyrse. The petals are greenish on the outside and white or pink inside. Flowering occurs in summer. 

The species distribution is from Clanwilliam in the Western Cape through parts of the Karoo and the Little Karoo to Steytlerville in the Eastern Cape.

The plant grows in lowland karoid conditions in sandy soils, often in shade, or shows some hardship from full sun. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

This species resembles A. maculatus on which the horny leaf rim runs all around the margin to the base (Smith, et al, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).

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