Conophytum wettsteinii

Conophytum wettsteinii
At the University of California Botanical Garden
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Aizoaceae
Genus:	Conophytum
Species:	C. wettsteinii
Binomial name
Conophytum wettsteinii (A.Berger) N.E.Br. [2]
Synonyms [3]
Conophytum brevipesL.Bolus Mesembryanthemum wettsteiniiA.Berger

Conophytum wettsteinii is a species of flowering plant in the genus Conophytum , native to the northwest Cape Provinces of South Africa. ^[3] It is known to grow in rocky regions, often associated with Crassula elegans . C. wettsteinii is a small groundcover species, which appears stemless with fused leaf-pairs having a obconical shape. This plant relies on winter rains and is mainly dormant in summer months. Best growth occurs when drainage is available, and when only shaded during mid-summer. Propegation can occur through seeds or through cuttings from a full grown plant, where each cutting contains at least 1 head and a fraction of root. ^[4] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. ^[5]

Subtaxa

The following subspecies are currently accepted: ^[3]

• Conophytum wettsteinii subsp. fragile(Tischer) S.A.Hammer
• Conophytum wettsteinii subsp. francoiseaeS.A.Hammer
• Conophytum wettsteinii subsp. ruschii(Schwantes) S.A.Hammer

References

1. Young, A.J. (2022). "Conophytum wettsteinii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 e.T202850178A202850180. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T202850178A202850180.en . Retrieved 1 August 2023.
2. Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 71: 231 (1922)
3. "Conophytum wettsteinii (A.Berger) N.E.Br". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
4. "Conophytum wettsteinii". www.llifle.com. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
5. "Conophytum wettsteinii". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 27 February 2021.