Crassothonna protecta

Crassothonna protecta, previously Othonna protecta, is a perennial that grows a short, succulent stem, sometimes underground or partly underground. The small plant has few branches reaching about 15 cm in height.

A few flowerheads appear solitary on medium length, erect peduncles above the leaves. One row of smooth, fleshy, involucral bracts subtends the flowerhead, sometimes with purple longitudinal bands along their surfaces. The yellow ray florets are narrowly oblong, spreading in a single ring around the compact yellow disc.

Most of the rays in picture have curled up, hiding their tips around the involucre. Flowering happens in winter and early spring.

In the photo taken in August some seeds attached to silky-haired appendages have already ripened in early flowerheads. They appear ready for their once-in-a-lifetime, airborne trips on the wind to sites where germination may happen when the rains come (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot).