Family: Mesebrianthemaceae (Aizoaceae)
Scientific name: Tanquana hilmarii [(L.Bolus)
H.E.K. Hartmann & S.Liede]
Published in: Bot. Jahrb., 106(4): 481 (1986)
Origin:
South Africa. Western and Northern Cape Provinces (Tanqua Karoo and
Laingsburg In the Little Karoo)
Ethymology:
The genus name is derived from the Tanqua
Karoo ( also known as the Ceres Karoo), the arid area where this
plant comes from. The species has been named in honour of Hilmar
Lückoff († 1994)
Habitat:
It grows in very rocky environments and closely mimics the soil. The
plant are rarely wetted by non-vaporous precipitation,
receiving very scarce rain, none at summer, but ocean fog moves inland
in the evenings, and this moisture sustains a wealth of succulent life
in this harsh semi-desert region.
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Synonyms: Pleiospilos hilmarii L.Bolus 1931
Note: Tanquana is a relatively newly erected genus of 3 or 4 species
formerly included in Pleiospilos. Although the two genera look
similar and both come from the Western Cape of South Africa, there are
some reason to keep separate the two genus: keels are present on
Pleiospilos leaves but not on Tanquana, and capsules are quite
different.
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