Description :

• Decumbent to erect shrublets or subshrubs, often with thickened roots, or prostrate to decumbent geophytes; stems corky or lignified throughout or only basally so, epidermal bladder cells conspicuous, occasionally hair-like, rarely flattened
• Leaves decussate throughout or becoming alternate in inflorescences or alternate throughout, subcylindrical, rarely flattened, shortly fused towards bases, deciduous or drying and persistent (marcescent)
• Flowers in dichasia or solitary, (10-)20-30(-40) mm in diameter; in most species flowers close at night, some open at night and others never close
• Sepals 4 or 5, often fused basally into a short tube
• Petals in various shades of green, yellow, orange, red, pink or whitish
• Staminodes present or 0
• Nectary consisting of 5 separate grooves
• Ovary mostly conical on top; placentas axile; stigmas 4 or 5, subulate
• Fruit a 4- or 5-locular capsule, of Mesembryanthemum type; expanding keels extending to centre of fruit; covering membranes 0; valve wings mostly present and inflexed over valves or rarely reflexed and fused in pairs or 0
• Seeds D-shaped or horseshoe-shaped, 1.1-1.8 mm long, usually black without a crest, or brown with a crest, surface rough, rarely smooth

• Flowering from mid-winter to mid-summer

• Distinguishing characters :
  • Perennials, with conspicuous bladder cell idioblasts on leaves
  • If rootstock is tuberous, leaves are summer-deciduous

Nomenclature:

• Phyllobolus N.E.Br.
  • Brown: 413 (1925)
  • Brown: 1 (1926)
  • Gerbaulet: 385 (1995)
  • Gerbaulet: 145 (1997)
  • Smith et al.: 42 (1998)
• Amoebophyllum N.E.Br.
  • Brown: 433 (1925)
  • Herre: 68 (1971)
• Sphalmanthus N.E.Br.
  • Brown: 433 (1925)
  • Friedrich: 126 (1970)
  • Herre: 290 (1971)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa : Species 31, widespread in S Namibia, and in the western and central parts of South Africa (Northern, Western, and Eastern Cape and Free State)