Chasmatophyllum musculinum multiplying in rocky grassland

Stands of Chasmatophyllum musculinum develop in stony grassland from the seed produced by early resident plants. Mat-forming dwarf succulents may retain their colonies for years, sometimes for decades.

It is, however, not by flowering and new plant germination only that colonies expand. This happens when the single plant, one genetic individual, grows to a stand in its patch, slowly enlarging over time. The short, thick rhizomes producing adventitious roots and new shoots may bring about a clonal expansion of the plant; more land covered by fewer individual identities (Frandsen, 2017; Smith, et al, 1998; iNaturalist; https://www.worldfloraonline.org).