Cotyledon tomentosa subsp. tomentosa

Cotyledon tomentosa subsp. tomentosa, the bear paw, is a low-growing and compact, succulent shrublet.

The distinctive feature is the teeth at the tips of the short, somewhat flat, succulent and hairy leaves. These teeth are arranged in a neat row and vary in number between three and ten. There are bright green or yellow-green leaf forms with yellowish hairs, as well as grey ones with whitish hairs covering the leaves.

The flowers are pale yellow or orange, usually pointing outwards on quite short pedicels. Some of the other Cotyledon species have longer pedicels and pendulous flowers. The bear paw has the typical Cotyledon urn-shaped flower with five petals that separate near the tips to curl back at the mouth. There are ten stamens.

The plant grows in the Western Cape in a strip of Little Karoo scrub-veld from Ladismith to around Steytlerville in the Eastern Cape. 

The habitat is arid veld on shale and sandstone krantzes. The subspecies is considered vulnerable due to veld degradation (Manning, 2009; http://crassulaceae.net; http://redlist.sanbi.org).