Conophytum wettsteinii, a vygie of the desert

Conophytum wettsteinii grows in exposed conditions on arid land. Rock crevices, stony outcrops and quartzite slopes receive meagre winter rain followed by an extended blast of summer sun. This may not sound like much, but it is home. This habitat enforces every inhabitant to develop some survival kit or another, honed over countless generations. Or disappearing over time.

The survival traits of this resilient vygie include succulence, compactness, a responsive seasonal growth pattern and use of old leaves as a weather shield for new growth. Winter flowers on the flat disc leaf-pairs are still surrounded here by the remainder of last year’s dried leaves. They protect the emerging young leaves, covering them as a shield. The "old clothes" are now gradually being taken off, flaunting new garb for a while before repeating the cycle (Smith, et al, 1998; www.cactus-art.biz).