Khadia carolinensis east of Carolina

Here is another mat-forming succulent that lives in open grassland. It grows much lower than the grasses that come and go with the seasons, but it is adapted to this world; successful in it. Khadia carolinensis of the Mpumalanga Highveld belongs to the Aizoaceae or mesemb family, characterised by thick woody roots. Roots with food source storage capacity as well as its  succulent leaves provide this mesemb with ample survival facilities, unlike those of the grassy plants that predominate in the quartzite soil habitat.

Lifestyles dependent upon different resources create or enhance the suggestion of harmonious coexistence. Competition other than for space may be minimal here, but the survival instincts of living organisms are not conditional (Smith, et al, 1998).