Adromischus marianiae "immaculatus"

A. marianiae "immaculatus" Uitewaal, Succulenta 1953:10 (1953) - as var. immaculatus; Tölken, Bothalia 12:391 (1978) - incorrectly as immaculata; Fl. Southern Afr. 14:57 (1985)

(Syn. (acc. to Tölken) A. alveolatus P.C. Hutchison, Cact. Succ. J. (US) 28(6):183 (1956); A. marianiae forma alveolatus (P.C. Hutchison) Pilbeam, Nat. Cact. Succ. J. 36(2):34 (1981); A. antidorcatum von Poellnitz, Fedde's Rep. Spec. nov. Regni. veg. 44: 61 (1938); 47: 2 (1939); A. marianiae var. antidorcatum (von Poellnitz) Pilbeam, Nat. Cact. Succ. J. 36(2):34 (1981); A. herrei (W.F. Barker) von Poellnitz, Fedde's Rep. Spec. nov. Regni veg. 44:62 (1938); 48: 90 (1940); W.F. Barker, S. Afr. Gardening & Country Life 21: 247 (1931) - as C. herrei; A. marianae forma herrei (W.F. Barker) Pilbeam, Nat. Cact. Succ. J. 36(2):34 (1981); A. marianae var. antidorcatum forma multicolor Pilbeam, Nat. Cact. Succ. J. 36(2):35 (1981); - but see below)

This variation, if Tölken were to be believed, covers a multitude in leaf-shape, leaf marking, leaf epidermis and habit of growth, from the plain, rough-textured, unspotted almost spherical leaves of A. marianiae "alveolatus", and the tiny, highly tuberculate covered leaves of A. marianiae "herrei", to the heavily marked in dark maroon, granulated longer leaves of A. marianiae "antidorcatum", or to the fatter and longer, smooth leaves of the type.

At this point it is worth pointing out that Uitewaal when describing A. marianiae var. immaculatus, included a photograph which showed what appears distinctly to be a smooth surfaced leaf, that is to say not rough-surfaced, and differentiated it from the type only in its being not spotted. Also it has been recently confirmed that all A. marianiae found in the Vredendal area are smooth, although varying from spotted to unspotted; Uitewaal may well have been sent only unspotted forms, or picked them out as different from the type.

So, "immaculatus" is taken here to refer to plants described by Uitewaal in the narrow sense, i.e. smooth and unspotted, with the habit of the type. The photograph accompanying the original description shows leaves with the typical shape of the type but a little fatter, varying from quite squat, almost ovate at the base of the plant, to later developing, longer leaves, four or five times longer than broad. The horny margin extends only about a quarter to a third down the sides of the leaves. This description matches closely plants found by Steven Hammer at Vredendal.

Type: Cape, Vredendal, AVU 10014 (holotype) and SUG 5932.

A. marianiae "immaculatus" as described by Uitewaal, with smooth, immaculate green leaves

Adromischus sphenophyllus

A. sphenophyllus C.A. Smith, Bothalia 3:624 (1939); Tölken, Bothalia 12:389 (1978); Fl. Southern Afr. 14:54 (1985)

(Syn. C. rhombifolia sensu Baker fil., Refug. Bot 1, t.36 (1869); sensu Schonland & Baker fil,. J. Bot., London 40:92 (1902) in part; sensu Schonland, Rec. Albany Mus. 3:154 (1915); A. rhombifolius var. bakeri von Poellnitz, Fedde's Rep. Spec. nov. Regni veg. 48:102, 110 (1940))

Section 4 - Incisilobati

This is the species that is according to Tölken a doppel-gänger (a double) for A. maximus, except for some difference in its size, flowers and its different locality. Plants of this species never reach the stature of A. maximus, and it is altogether a much smaller growing plant. Nevertheless they do eventually make plants large enough to fill a pot 20 to 25cm in diameter, but the plants are in every way smaller than A. maximus, in stem length, size of leaf, and with a tendency to branch more freely to make a plant like a more dainty Crassula ovata. Unlike A. maximus they do grow readily from leaves, rooting easily and quickly.

Plants in the wild from above Kouga Dam in the Baviaanskloof, are large and silvery leaved, the surface of the leaves flaking. Near Grahamstown, the plants are slimmer and more green, but sometimes with red edges. Around Steytlerville grow the superb, undulate forms, which are thick and chunky, with dark green leaves having a very wavy or crinkled edge.

The species is described as having stems to 20cm long, with fibrous roots. Leaves are grey-green, rarely green, unspotted, oblanceolate, flattened, with a horny margin all around, the sides a straight line from the base to the broadest part of the leaf near the apex, rounded there to rarely obtuse and mucronate, (25 to) 35 to 70 (to 100)mm long, (10 to) 18 to 34mm wide. Inflorescence 20 to 45cm long, grey-green, with 1 or 2-flowered fertile bracts. Corolla is pale green sometimes tinged red, lobes white often tinged pink with deep mauve margin.

Reported from between Steytlerville, Graaf-Reinet, East London and Humansdorp, growing in dry bush vegetation, occassionally also on rock outcrops in lusher vegetation.

Type: Cape, without exact locality, Cooper 2338 (K, lectotype).

Four forms of A. sphenophyllus, showing the considerable variation: back left - DT 4786 from east of Hankey; back right - DT 3694 from east-north-east of Steytlerville; front left - DT 4818 from north of Riebeek East; front right - DT 4849 from north-west of Graaf-Reinet