frying-pan plant
Tiganophyton karasense Swanepoel, F.Forest & A.E.van Wyk
Tiganophyton karasense is an evergreen, dwarf shrub native to southern Namibia. It belongs to the newly described family Tiganophytaceae and is commonly known as the frying-pan plant. The species exhibits a unique growth pattern with long and short shoots, each bearing distinct leaf types. It flowers during summer following good rainfall, and its dry fruits (nutlets) remain within the compact leaves and bracts of the short shoots for multiple seasons.
Description
Tiganophyton karasense is a low, branching shrub reaching 0.3–0.8 m in height and diameter. It has long, slender shoots with short, densely packed shoots in leaf axils. Leaves are dimorphic: on long shoots they are spirally arranged, trullate to deltoid, while on short shoots they form tight rosettes, ovate to obovate. The plant flowers on short shoots after they reach 2–3 mm in diameter, with fruits remaining within the rosettes. The species is named for its habitat in the hot Karas Region and its resemblance to a frying pan.
Other common names
frying-pan plant
Distribution
Namibia