Donkey Mesemb or Donkey Fig or donkiebossie (Afr.)
Mestoklema tuberosum
Ice plant family (Aizoaceae)
A grey mountain of roots
This curious plant sits immediately atop a grey mountain of swollen roots. On top of these roots arise twigs with a few paltry green leaves. This plant occurs naturally in the arid deserts of Namibia and South Africa.
It is called a succulent and has fat or swollen appendages that can store water. In the desert where it grows, water is very scarce but when it rains, it often arrives as very heavy downpours. The plant sucks up the rainwater through its thick aerial roots that function as a water tank. Sunlight is reflected off the grey, shiny bark of the roots so helping to cool the plant. The small, angular leaves are similar to those of the Aloë. Its flowers are small and cream or salmon pink in colour.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Zuidas Botanic Garden.
Details
Description: | Shrub, 30-60(-70) cm tall, with characteristic potato-shaped tubers |
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Distributions: | South namibia to the little karoo and eastern cape in south africa. |
Habitat: | Forms dense scrub on alluvial soils. |
Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
Hardiness: | 23 - 34 f (half-hardy - unheated glasshouse/mild winter) |
Flower color: | Red, orange, yellow, salmon, white, creme, blue, purple |
Notes on flowers: | Flowers daisy-like, very small, 4-6(-15?) mm in diameter borne in short branching terminal umbels generally in the reddish-orange-yellow range, but also salmon-orange, cream or violet; flowers from february to june in their natural habitat; after the flowers have faded the old inflorescence persists as a light grey zig-zag meshwork amongst the leaves. flowers from february to june in their natural habitat. |