Karoo rose (Lapidaria margaretae)
Description
Lapidaria margaretae resembles those genera within the Aizoaceae family to which it is most closely related; namely Lithops, Dinteranthus and Schwantesia. However, while Lithops and Dinteranthus will typically only have one pair of leaves, L. margaretae has two to four pairs of leaves. Each leaf is 1.5–2 cm long and 1 cm wide. Clumps of up to three rosettes may be formed with age. The plant is mostly dormant during the hot summer and cold winter, only growing during the spring and autumn, with flowering occurring in the latter, or in early winter. It flowers with a single 5 cm wide yellow flower that can eclipse the plant. This flower contains 6 or 8 sepals, up to around 100 petals (always a multiple of three) and 300–500 stamens. It opens during the day. The flowering might be solitary, or succeeded by up to two others.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Aizoaceae
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Genus: Lapidaria
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