Description :

• Decumbent or climbing perennials, rarely erect subshrubs; branches slender, basal ones often robust with age; bladder cells of stem and leaves conspicuous or inconspicuous
• Leaves decussate or becoming alternate in inflorescence, shortly fused towards bases, flat, ± succulent, apex recurved or incurved, veins lignified, dry leaves skeleton-like, persistent and enclosing young buds
• Flowers in few-flowered dichasia, sometimes solitary, stalked or sessile, 20-40 mm in diameter
• Sepals 4 or 5(6), persistent
• Petals white, pale to bright yellow, pale pink, or pale salmon; sepals and petals shortly fused towards bases; rarely stamens and stigmas concealed by staminodes
• Nectary consisting of 4 or 5 separate grooves
• Ovary half-inferior; placentas axile; stigmas 4 or 5, acicular
• Fruit a 4- or 5(6)-locular capsule, of Mesembryanthemum type; expanding keels extending to centre of fruit; valve wings present or 0; breaking off readily to be dispersed by wind as tumble fruit
• Seeds D-shaped, to 2 mm long, black or brown, with distinct or indistinct crest, surface rough

• Flowering autumn to early summer

• Distinguishing characters :
  • Persistent dry leaves which become skeletonised with only veins persisting

Nomenclature:

• Sceletium N.E.Br.
  • Brown: 412 (1925)
  • Herre: 276 (1971)
  • Gerbaulet: 9 (1996)
  • Smith et al.: 52 (1998)
• Phyllobolus subgen. Sceletium (N.E.Br.) Bittrich
  • Bittrich: 75 (1986)
  • Bittrich: 5 (1986)
  • Hartmann: 47 (1993)
• Pentacoilanthus Rappa & Camarrone
  • Rappa & Camarrone: 13 (1962) name invalidly published

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa : Species 8, occurs in karroid areas of the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape