Pleiospilos compactus subsp. canus

Pleiospilos compactus subsp. canus, commonly known in Afrikaans as kwaggavy (zebra fig), is a dwarf leaf-succulent of the Aizoaceae family bearing leaf pairs at ground level. It spreads to a small mat by producing up to three leaf pairs per branch. P. compactus subsp. canus was previously known officially by several other names including P. canus.

The plants geographical distribution is in the Great Karoo from Calvinia in the north to the Little Karoo and eastwards into semi-arid parts of the Eastern Cape. Some records place this plant in the Bloemfontein area. This plant was seen near Oudtshoorn.

The habitat is barren stony slopes and outcrops where the plants live exposed to the elements. Small as they are, trampling is a risk in the open, the weather they can mostly deal with. The subspecies is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Smith, et al, 1988; www.llifle.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).