Pleiospilos bolusii
Pleiospilos bolusii, the mimicry plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae, native to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, where it grows at an elevation of . The species epithet bolusii honours Harry Bolus, a 19th-century South African botanist. It is a small, stemless succulent perennial growing to tall by wide, with two or four opposite grey-green leaves, quite thick, fused at the base, almost triangular, with entire margins. The leaves are longer and more angular than those of the closely related P. nelii, but in both cases the shape and texture of the leaves resemble a pile of split pebbles, possibly to deter predators. The yellow, many-petaled, daisy-like flowers emerge from the center of the leaves, and are in diameter - large in relation to the overall size of the plant. The flowers are often coconut-scented. The flowering period extends from August to September. The plant is one of several species cultivated for their rocklike appearance, which are sometimes collectively called mesembs. With a minimum temperature of , in temperate regions it is grown under glass. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. References The plant list African Plant Database