Meyerophytum
Group 8 Bead-Leaved Mesembs
Genus name. This genus was named after reverend L.G. Meyer (1867 to 1958) formerly of Steinkopf, South Africa.
Distribution. Meyerophytum is restricted to the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, from the Richtersveld to southern Namaqualand. This area receives predominantly winter rainfall, never exceeding 200 mm per year. Plants grow fully exposed, or in partial shade between white, light-reflecting, quartzite rocks. The microhabitat (often on southern slopes) is relatively wet as a result of fog, dew and runoff.
Cultivation. Plants are best propagated from seed sown in autumn, as cuttings do not root readily. Soil should be sandy or loamy, with good drainage properties. Plants should be grown in direct, bright sunlight in a greenhouse. Once the new leaves have absorbed water from the older leaves, watering is superfluous for several months. The plants should be kept dry in summer when they are dormant.
Notes. Closely related to Monilaria and Mitrophyllum, these leaf-pairs alternate consecutively between two different types of leaf-growth (heterophylly) and during the exceptionally hot summer they remain inactive in a dry sheath. They produce purple or white flowers in spring and rely on winter rainfall in their dry environment. Of the two recorded species, Meyerophytum Meyeri is relatively common in the Namaqualand, but Meyerophytum Globosum has a more restricted natural range and is threatened by mining and cattle farming.
Sources | Mesembs of the World by Gideon Smith | iNaturalist | Wikipedia
Meyerophytum Globosum
