Stats

Lifespan: 10-20 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Desert
Range: Southern Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Rare

About

This succulent shrub grows among the quartz fields of the South African Karoo. Its fuzzy leaves feature three to ten distinct teeth that harden into red tips.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Cotyledon
Species: Cotyledon tomentosa