Ruschia

Ruschia is a large genus of succulent shrublets or shrubs in the Aizoaceae family. The plants grow branches that are erect in most species, curved or creeping in some. A few species are spiny from sterile inflorescence branches that persist. Ruschia roots are often woody, rarely tuberous.

Common Afrikaans names for these plants include doringvygie (thorn mesemb) and muisvygie (mouse mesemb) for some spiny species. Swaelstertvygie (swallow tail mesemb), beesvygie (cattle mesemb) and rooibergvygie (Rooiberg or red mountain mesemb) are also heard.

The opposite leaves are free or joined, sometimes up to halfway the leaf length. The leaves are often trigonous or triangular in cross-section. The upper surfaces of the leaves are flat, while rounded or keeled below. The leaf keel is sometimes toothed near its tip. Leaf surfaces are mostly blue-green with dark dots and hairless or fringed with hairs or papillae along the margins.

The sweetly fragrant flowers grow solitary or in clusters from leaf axils or stem-tips. Bracts are usually present on the pedicels. There are four or five succulent sepals below the corolla.

One to several rows or rings of pink, purple or sometimes white petals spread around the flower centre (during sunlight hours only). The petals are sometimes converged into five groups, caused by sepal interference.

Numerous stamens are surrounded by filamentous staminodes (lacking anthers). They usually form a cone in the flower centre. The nectary is a continuous, dark green ring, notched and scalloped in the flower base. The ovary is conical, its ovules growing on the inside of the outer walls. There are five or six stigmas in the flower centre.

Flowering often lasts throughout the year, while peaks may occur during spring and autumn.

The fruit capsule usually has five locules, sometimes six, all without valve wings. The valves open into upright positions. There are usually hook-shaped closing bodies, variable in shape and size. The expanding keels are short, spreading sideways and opening the valves. The covering membranes usually have small rods at their top ends involved in closing.

There are about 220 species, much reduced after taxonomical revisions that may be expected to continue to some extent still with respect to this genus. All Ruschia species occur in southern Africa, many in the arid, winter rainfall region. Some species grow in the Lesotho mountains and other high summer rainfall parts in the east.

This is probably South Africa’s biggest Aizoaceae genus in terms of number of species. Many of the species are grown horticulturally. Although some are floriferous, they tend to lack in showy features typical of certain Lampranthus species (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Manning, 2009; Smith, et al, 1998).