Schizoglossum hilliardiae

Schizoglossum hilliardiae, commonly known as the Drakensberg split-tongue, is a succulent perennial reaching heights from 9 cm to 35 cm. The hairy stems are sometimes branched from the base.

The simple, opposite leaves are short-stalked, narrowly oblong, lance-shaped or triangular and the blades hairy. The leaf margins are entire and rolled under. The midribs are whitish and prominent below. The lateral veins ascend to the margins, also sunken on top.  

The species distribution is inland in the northeast of the Eastern Cape, the southwest of KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. This plant was spotted in the Mkhomazi Wilderness Area in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg close to the Lesotho border.

The habitat is subalpine grassland at elevations from 1800 m to 2670 m. Summer rain and cold, dry winters are the norm here. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

In gardening the plants are used on rockeries and in containers (Pooley, 1998; Smith, 1997; iNaturalist; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).