Antegibbaeum fissoides

Antegibbaeum fissoides, in Afrikaans commonly volstruistone (ostrich toes), is a slow-growing, dwarf leaf succulent growing erect or creeping stems up to 10 cm long, the plant forming leaf clumps.

The genus is monotypic, consisting of only the one species. The Latin word ante meaning before suggests that the genus is a forerunner to Gibbaeum, which is not the case.

Each short-stalked flower bears two pairs of bracts below the calyx that has six unequal, keeled lobes. The deep pink or purple flowers spread their sometimes crinkled petals in one to three whorls around a whitish centre. Flower diameter is about 6 cm. 

The flower centre houses numerous white-anthered stamens but no staminodes. The continuous ring of fused nectar glands present in the flower base does not occur in Gibbaeum flowers. There are six or seven stigmas in each flower centre.

Flowers open around noon and close near sunset. Flowering happens from late winter to early spring.

The species distribution is mainly in the west of the Little Karoo, between Barrydale and Touws River.

The habitat is scrub veld in shale, clay and quartzite soils where winter rain prevails. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Smith, et al, 1998; iNaturalist; http://www.llifle.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).