Monsonia crassicaulis

Sarcocaulon crassicaulis, the Boesmankers (Bushman candle) or noerap (an ancient indigenous language name of unknown meaning), is a rigid, dwarf shrublet reaching heights up to 50 cm. The specific name, crassicaulis, is derived from the Latin words crassus meaning thick and caulis meaning stalk, referring to the thick stems. The branched stems are spiny and covered in a waxy layer.

The species distribution is widespread in the Western Cape and the Northern Cape, from the Little Karoo to the west and north through the Tankwa Karoo and Great Karoo, across Namaqualand and Bushmanland to southern Namibia. The photo ws taken near Oudtshoorn.

The habitat is rocky outcrops of succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Van Rooyen and Van Rooyen, 2019; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Le Roux, et al, 2005; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).