Pleiospilos

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Aizoaceae
Subfamilia: Ruschioideae
Tribus: Ruschieae
Genus: Pleiospilos
Species: P. bolusii – P. compactus – P. nelii – P. simulans

Source(s) of checklist:

Hassler, M. 2018. Pleiospilos. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Jul. 12. Reference page.

Name

Pleiospilos N.E.Br., 1925

Type species: Pleiospilos bolusii (Hook. f.) N.E. Br.

References

Brown, N.E., The Gardeners' Chronicle: a weekly illustrated journal of horticulture and allied subjects. ser. 3 78: 433. 1925.

Links

Hassler, M. 2018. Pleiospilos. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Jul. 12. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Pleiospilos. Published online. Accessed: Jul. 12 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Pleiospilos in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Jul. 12.
Tropicos.org 2018. Pleiospilos. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 12 Jul. 2018.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2019. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Pleiospilos. .

Vernacular names
English: Split Rock
svenska: Klyvstensläktet

Pleiospilos is a genus of succulent flowering plants of the family Aizoaceae, native to South Africa. The name is derived from the Greek pleios "many" and spìlos "spot". The plants are also known as kwaggavy ("Quagga mesemb"), lewerplant ("liver plant"), lewervygie ("liver mesemb"), klipplant ("stone plant"), split rock or mimicry plant.

Pleiospilos species have two or four opposite, very fleshy, grey-green leaves growing from a short stem that may be underground.[1] The leaves, with their hemispherical shape and pitted texture, often strongly resemble a pile of split pebbles to deter predators. Flowers emerge from the center of the leaves, and may be very big in relation to the overall size of the plant.[2]

They reproduce both sexually and asexually. Vegetative offshoots emerge from the root system. Seed set occurs in early spring around March.

The species P. bolusii and P. nelii are cultivated as ornamentals.
Pleiospilos - yellow flower
Species

Pleiospilos bolusii
Pleiospilos compactus
P. compactus subsp. compactus
P. compactus subsp. canus
P. compactus subsp. minor
P. compactus subsp. fergusoniae
P. compactus subsp. sororius
Pleiospilos leipoldtii
Pleiospilos nelii
Pleiospilos simulans

References

RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/pleiospilosnelii.htm