st common species and is found from the Magaliesberg in the North-West Province to just south of Heidelberg, Gauteng. More collections may indicate a wider distribution. See more info below.
K. acutipetala (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br. usually grows in shallow soil between quartzitic rocks. The capsules have six to eight locules that always return to the closed position after they have opened. This is not an endangered species, but the habitat is being lost as housing in Gauteng expands.
K. alticola Chesselet & H.E.K.Hartmann was described in 1995 and is found along the Steenkampsberg, Mpumalanga, the surrounding high-lying areas and also to the south in northern KwaZulu-Natal . See more info below.
K. alticola . Its name is derived from its occurrence at high altitudes. It also grows in rocky places. The flowers are pale pink or white and the capsules tend to gape open once wetted, never closing completely again. Although plentiful in habitat, its occurrence is not widespread.
K. beswickii (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. is found between Heidelberg and Nigel in Gauteng and was once considered to be extinct, but populations of these plants have recently been rediscovered. It forms large, flat clumps that grow in quartzitic rocks. See more info below.
K. beswickii is found between Heidelberg and Nigel in Gauteng and was once considered to be extinct, but populations of these plants have recently been rediscovered. It forms large, flat clumps that grow in quartzitic rocks. The flowers can be very pale pink to deeper pink and the capsules have five to eight locules, sometimes gaping once wetted. It is listed as critically endangered in Gauteng as habitat loss due to urbanization is a threat to this species.
K. borealis L. Bolus is an outlier found in the province of Limpopo. It differs in its creeping habit, with rooting nodes and long internodes. It grows in shallow soils overlaying flat rocky plates at high altitudes where the plants receive mist. The name is derived from the fact that this is the northe rnmo st species of the genus. The flowers are bright white . The capsules have four to eight locules (Chesselet et al . 1998) that close completely after they have opened and are no t woody as in other species of this genus.
K. carolinensis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus is found on quartzitic rocks near Carolina in Mpumalanga and also grows further to the south and north. The name refers to the place where the first specimen was found (Carolina). See more info below.
K. carolinensis. It forms large, flattened clumps that can be up grow up to 0.5 m in diameter. It has white to cream -coloured flowers and six-locular capsules that are woody and close fully again after they have opened.
K. media P.Winter & N.Hahn, the most recently described addition to the genus (Winter & Hahn 1999), differs from the others in that it grows on soils derived from igneous rocks while all the others grow in soils derived from sedimentary rocks. The name refers to its distinguishing characters, which bridge the differences between other species. The flowers are white and the capsules are five- to six-locular, closing again after they have opened.
- Chesselet, P. & Hartmann, H.E.K. 1995. Khadia alticola Chess. & H.E.K. Hartm. spec nov. (Mesembryanthemaceae/Aizoaceae). Aloe 32: 46-49.
- Chesselet, P., Hartmann, H.E.K., Hahn, N., Burgoyne, P.M. & Smith, G.F. 1998. Taxonomic notes on the genus Khadia (Mesembryanthemaceae/Aizoaceae) Bothalia 28: 25-33.
- Knoll, C. & Hankey, A. 2003. Co-operative conservation initiative for rare and threatened plants. Urban Green File 8,2: 22-25.
- Leistner, O.A. (ed.). 2000. Seed plants of southern Africa: families and genera. Strelitzia 10. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Winter, P.J.D. & Hahn, N. 1999. A new species of Khadia N.E.Br. (Mesembryanthemaceae) from the Northern Province of South Africa. Aloe 36: 16-19.
National Herbarium, Pretoria
Plant Type: Succulent