Delosperma leendertziae living with grass

Delosperma leendertziae is very much at home in rocky, quartzitic ridges and south-facing, montane grassland slopes. It prefers warm temperatures and summer rainfall.

The low competition levels from other plants for the shallow, poor soils where it lives constitutes a strategic advantage, a retreat available from the dominance of grasses and herbs. The succulent’s water storage and mat-forming capacities stand it in good stead in this environment where its slower growth rate than the grasses deals well with drought.

The overall effect? The mosaic of biodiversity is enriched by these ostensibly unassuming residents that cope in places eschewed by many species. And then the yellow flowers open annually (Smith, et al, 1998; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; iNaturalist; https://pza.sanbi.org).