Gibbaeum
Group 3 Flowering Stones
Genus name. The name is derived from the Latin word gibba (hump) or gibbosus (hunchback), referring to the two leaves of each leaf pair which differ from each other in shape and size.
Distribution. The genus is mostly found growing in the Little Karoo, Western Cape Province of South Africa. A few species extend outside of this region. Three species extend north into the Great Karoo region: Gibbaeum Gibbosum, Gibbaeum Heathii and Gibbaeum Nuciforme. Two extend south into the Overberg region: Gibbaeum Esterhuyseniae and Gibbaeum Hartmannianum. The plants prefer sunny, open rocky areas and often grow amongst white quartzite pebbles, which make them difficult to detect as their colour blends in with the surrounding rocks.
Cultivation. Species of Gibbaeum are propagated by means of seeds or cuttings which grow quite easily. Water sparingly at all times otherwise the leaves may burst.
Notes. Gibbaeums grow in clumps and produce pink or white flowers in spring. Their natural range spans the boundary between winter and summer rainfall areas of South Africa, and their growth period (emergence of new leaves and flowering) is therefore in summer for some species and in winter for other ones. However, overall most species can be watered primarily in winter.
Sources | Mesembs of the World by Gideon Smith | iNaturalist | Wikipedia
Gibbaeum Album
iNaturalist observations north of Heidelberg and Riversdale in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Gibbaeum Angulipes
iNaturalist observations north of Riversdale in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Gibbaeum Dispar
iNaturalist observations near Vanwyksdorp and the Rooiberg Nature Reserve in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Gibbaeum Esterhuyseniae
Gibbaeum Geminum
iNaturalist observations south-west of Ladismith in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Gibbaeum Gibbosum
iNaturalist observations in and west of Anysberg Nature Reserve as well as north of Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Gibbaeum Hartmannianum
Gibbaeum Heathii
iNaturalist observations from Anysberg Nature Reserve to Calitzdorp, Western Cape, South Africa.
Gibbaeum Nebrownii aka Gibbaeum Johnstonii
Gibbaeum Nuciforme aka Gibbaeum Cryptopodium
iNaturalist observations in the Anysberg Nature Reserve in the Little Karoo, Western Cape, South Africa.
Gibbaeum Pachypodium
Gibbaeum Petrense aka Gibbaeum Tischleri
iNaturalist observations north of Riversdale in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Gibbaeum Pilosulum
iNaturalist observations between Barrydale and Ladismith, Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Gibbaeum Pubescens aka Gibbaeum Argenteum
iNaturalist observations in the Anysberg Nature Reserve down to Barrydale in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Gibbaeum Shandii
iNaturalist observations between the Anysberg Nature Reserve and Barrydale in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.