Butter tree (Tylecodon paniculatus)
Description
Tylecodon paniculatus grows as an upright, robust and thick-stemmed shrub with a stature height of up to 2.5 meters. The main trunk reaches a diameter of about 40 centimeters. The plants are richly branched and form a rounded crown. The smooth bark peels off in half-translucent, yellowish brown stripes and exposes the green, fleshy trunk. The roots are fibrous. The fleshy and brittle shoots have a greyish green bark in their youth. The ascending-spreading leavesare flat to a bit tricky. In young plants, they may be densely hairy, otherwise they are bald. The elliptical, ovate to reverse lanceolate, grass-green and rarely bluish-puffed leaf blade is 5 to 9 inches long and 2 to 4 inches wide. Its margin is entire and occasionally wavy. The blade is wedge-shaped at the base and rounded at the tip to dull. At the shoot tip there are triangular, 3 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide leaf rudiments, which quickly turn brown and dry up. The inflorescences form up to 40 centimeters long thyrsis with 3 to 6 monochasias . The inflorescence stalk is reddish. The bracts are 15 to 20 millimeters long and 3 to 5 millimeters wide. The flowers are spreading to nodding. Its tubular, orange-yellow to red flower tube reaches a length of up to 20 millimeters at diameters of 8 millimeters. The outside of the flower tube is glandular or bald. The Kronzipfel are initially spread and later bent back.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Tracheophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Saxifragales
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Family: Crassulaceae
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Genus: Tylecodon
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