Cotyledon gloeophylla
C. gloeophylla at Kouga dam South Africa.
Photo © pza.sanbi.org
Cotyledon gloeophylla is a shrubby species that grows up to 60cm tall. It was only recently described but has been discovered much earlier at the Kouga dam near Patensie, Eastern Cape by EVJ.
It is particular for it's very sticky leaves after which it was named.
It is closely related to C. woodii but apart from the stickiness has larger greener leaves than the latter.
C. gloeophylla.
Photo © pza.sanbi.org
Plant shape
C. gloeophylla is a much branched shrub with woody stems.
Leaves are 2.5-5cm long and about 2cm wide, green, with a red margin. They leaf surface is covered by many very small grandulair hairs. On touching it, the leaf feels very sticky. The leaf tip ends in a point. The leaves are positioned opposite with almost no petiole.
Flowers
The inflorescence is reduced to a single flower at the stem end. The peduncle is about 4.5cm long.
The flower is around 3cm long.
The calyx lobes are elongated triangular, 5mm long. The corollla is orange to red.
The corolla tube is about 1.5cm long and the recurved corolla lobes are about 12mm long. The stamens are exerted.
Where
C. gloeophylla is restricted to an area around the Kouga dam in the Eastern Cape. It grows on steep slopes above the dam. The area receives around 500mm rain a year spread throughout summer and winter.
Variability
C. C. gloeophylla has no described varieties or subspecies.