Description:

• Dwarf, branched, rosette-forming perennials; short stems are often found with age but are generally obscured by clump-forming habit; roots slightly fleshy
• Leaves opposite, 2-4 pairs per abbreviated branch, slightly connate at base, broadly triangular, varying from triangular in cross section to almost terete, up to 45 mm long, 20 mm broad, with distinct margins which are either smooth, white and cartilaginous or distinctly toothed, in some species teeth elongated and ending in a thin thread, surfaces smooth to variously tubercled or marbled and ribbed; dark green, reddish purple or rarely bluish
• Flowers solitary, terminal, shortly pedicelled, sessile or subsessile, ebracteate, 30(50 mm in diameter; opening in afternoon, closing in evening
• Sepals 5, unequal, often keeled and with membranous margins
• Petals 2- or 3-seriate, free, linear, acuminate, obtuse or emarginate, often recurved, yellow to orange within, reddish copper outside and when withering, or rarely white
• Stamens epapillate; staminodes 0
• Nectary of 5 separate, crenate, yellow or greenish to dark brown glands
• Ovary raised into a cone or subglobose on top; placentas axile to parietal; stigmas 5 or 6, filiform, erect
• Fruit a 5- or 6-locular capsule, similar to Leipoldtia type but without closing bodies; appearing 10-locular and seedless: 5 empty hollows alternate with locules and seeds obscured by bent lamellae; valve wings firm, stout, connate with valves in their basal part only and standing rigidly above locules after opening of capsule; expanding keels ending in an awn, eventually capsules squeezed out by growth of new leaves
• Seeds ± 1.5 mm long, reddish brown with minute, stalked protuberances
• x = 9 (polyploidy)

• Flowering late summer to autumn

• Distinguishing characters:
  • Compact perennial rosettes
  • Leaves with distinct margins and rows of short to long teeth
  • Flowers yellow, rarely white

Nomenclature:

• Faucaria Schwantes
  • Schwantes: 176 (1926)
  • Bolus: 109 (1937/1938)
  • Herre: 156 (1971)
  • Smith et al.: 184 (1998)
  • Groen & Van der Maesen: 35 (1999)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species 6, components of the subtropical thickets of the Eastern Cape, in the western parts of the distribution range the genus extends into the Little and Great Karoo of the Western Cape