Gasteria brachyphylla var. brachyphylla

Gasteria brachyphylla var. brachyphylla, in Afrikaans commonly known as beestong (cattle tongue, a name shared with several other gasterias on account of the leaf-shape), is a stemless, low-growing leaf succulent. Several fans of leaves may be produced due to the plants typical branching at the base.

Panicles of salmon-red stomach-shaped flowers appear during winter and spring.

The plant is distributed mainly in the Little Karoo, but also across the Swartberg Mountains into the south-eastern Great Karoo to Steytlerville. This variety is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

G. brachyphylla var. brachyphylla is more common and widely distributed than the other variety, var. bayeri (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; www.plantzafrica.com).