Colpias mollis

Colpias mollis, the rock snapdragon, is a perennial shrublet that grows in granite rock crevices in the north westerly corner of South Africa, just south of the Gariep River mouth. It is also found in the Richtersveld and parts of Namaqualand.

Look at the picture showing the plant in typical habitat and the name klipblom in Afrikaans, (stone flower) makes sense. The plant is sometimes called a lithophyte (a plant that grows on rocks) and also a chasmophyte (a plant which grows in the crevices of rocks and rock faces).

The plant has a curious habit of its flower, once it is fertilised, turning away from the light to the rock face, facilitating the new seed’s opportunity to find a suitable crevice for germination. The plant’s tendency to perform its own seed dispersal function in this way is called autochory. Ants also seem to play a role in carrying seeds to suitable spots where new plants may grow (www.plantzafrica.com).