Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: Button plants, Dumplings

Family: Aizoaceae (Vygie)

Distribution: South Africa (NC), Richtersveld

Habitat: Umdaus Mountains Succulent, Quartz patches.

National red list: Extinct in the wild

Life form: Succulent plant

Comments: The white to rose-pink flowers are diurnal and appear in late-autumn. The flowers have a scent of spiced honey.
This subspecies of Conophytum herreanthus has been targeted by plant collectors since its discovery in 1925. It was only ever known from one small colony. By the late 1950s, Schwantes (1957) expressed concern that it is becoming increasingly rare in the wild, but excessive wild collecting continued until the 1980s, when only one plant remained (Hammer 2002). In addition, livestock grazing and trampling has contributed to habitat degradation and trampling damage to the last remaining wild plants, and prevented the successful establishment of seedlings.
The site is renowned for its succulent diversity and has been visited by many plant collectors over the years. In 1987, a single surviving individual was found in the wild. The following year, a plant grown from seed collected at the type locality several years earlier was introduced at the site. The population was visited again in July and August 1991, when both plants still survived. Several thousand seeds were also scattered at the site, but none have survived beyond the seedling stage. By 1997 one of the remaining two mature individuals had died, and the single remaining plant was damaged by grazing animals. This taxon has not been seen in the wild for nearly 20 years. The type locality is very remote, but has been repeatedly surveyed by many plant collectors over the years and no other colonies have been found.