Delosperma echinatum

This close-up photo of Delosperma echinatum shows a few interesting features. The tiny whitish leaf bristles are mostly very short, evident on the lower leaf surfaces. They appear here more like tubercles or tiny wart-like dots than hairs. These spots are distributed almost in rows like a fruit orchard planted on a Friday afternoon when workers were in a hurry.

The top, flatter leaf surfaces seem to have much less of the white dots. The lower leaf surface is more rounded, bulging like the hull of a boat. The leaf margins have longer hairs, curved and spaced, seen particularly close to the leaf base. The difference between the two leaf surfaces with the distinct edge where they meet, is not in evidence on all specimens of the plant. Little hairy barrels being the alternative leaf form. 

The flowers of D. echinatum are small, up to about 1 cm in diameter, growing on short stalks. The unevenness of the short yellow (sometimes cream) flower petals can be clearly seen. The petals are narrow, densely clustered and pointing upwards, creating a conical structure. Inside the outer ring of petals this species also has densely clustered, short inner petals.

The thick green calyx at the flower base shows a lavish quota of sparse white hairs similar to those on the leaf margins. The stems are yellowish green, also hairy (Gledhill, 1981; Smith, et al, 1998).