Conophytum wettsteinii

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]

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 brevipes L.Bolus Mesembryanthemum wettsteinii A.Berger

Subtaxa

The following subspecies are currently accepted:^[3]

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