Astridia vanheerdei, the dolkvygie

The leaf pairs of Astridia vanheerdei, in Afrikaans commonly known as dolkvygie (dagger mesemb), are erect, about flat-surfaced on the inside and deeply keeled.

The smooth surfaces on young leaves are pale grey or bluish grey. Old leaf pairs in various stages of decay persist on the outside of what may be called the beginnings of a short stem. The photo was taken in the Hester Malan Succulent Garden of the Goegap Nature Reserve.

There may be doubt as to the plant identity from the pronounced triangular leaf-shape, particularly the top of the keel, although the plant was marked with this name. The survival status of A. vanheerdei is unknown due to insufficient data (Smith, et al, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).