Glottiphyllum depressum aka Fig Marigold

Glottiphyllum depressum is a small succulent in the Aizoaceae family. Common names include tongue-leaf and fig-marigold. It comes from the Western Cape of South Africa. Its range runs from Ceres east to Uniondale. Kew places it in a subtropical climate and calls it a succulent subshrub. Wild plants grow at 1,640–3,215 feet [500–980 metres] above sea level. The species varies greatly across its broad native range.

Plants form tight groups of low rosettes with some branching. The stems stay very short and may lie along the ground. Dense leaves hide the spaces between their joints. Each branch bears three or four pairs of leaves. These sit close together in two rows along the stem. The two leaves in each pair join at their bases. They often differ in length. Their narrow blades resemble tongues or straps. Some lie low, while others point upward. The leaves feel soft and have a glossy green surface. Light can pass through their flesh. Their tips may show hooks where the opposite leaf pressed against them. Young seedlings have sharp leaf tips instead.

Yellow flowers reach about 0.16 feet [0.05 metres] across. In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering runs from December through late June. March brings the main flush of bloom. Flowers tend to spread fully open around eleven in the morning. They need enough warmth and sunlight to do so. Each flower can last for several weeks. Bees provide most daytime pollination in the wild. Moths probably take over some of that work in the evening.

The spongy fruit has thick valves and a raised top. Its upper part often stands higher than its base. The valves have broad wings, sometimes reduced to bristles. The round seeds have small bumps on their surface. Seeds take close to five months to mature after flowering.

In the wild, this plant grows mainly beneath shrubs. It seldom grows on bare, exposed ground. Its habitat includes shaly sandstone and loamy soil. Annual rain there totals less than 400 millimetres. LLIFLE reports summer growth for this species. It often forms the only local member of its genus. Shrub-rich plant communities make up an important part of its habitat.