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Cephalophyllum stayneri - A creeping succulent groundcover to 3 to 4 inches tall that spreads carpet-like outwards several feet on creeping stems that are red when young then turning gray and holding clusters of 2-3-inch-long narrow upright green leaves that are rounded on the back side and flattened on the front and tinged purple or red near their pointed tips when grown in the sun. In midwinter into spring appear the 1 1/2-inch-wide yellow centered deep pink flowers that are tinged orange and rise a couple inches above the leaves. Plant in full sun to light shade inland in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently - though a winter grower it will continue to grow through summer if given some irrigation. Cold hardy to around 25° F. A great groundcover on flat ground or trailing over a wall or in a large container for a dry location. It is a nice green color year-round and showy in bloom with vividly-colored orange-pink flowers. This plant is sometimes confused with the somewhat similar Malephora purpureo-crocea
Cephalophyllum are native to western South Africa north into southern Namibia with this species coming from near the town of Calvinia in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'kephale' meaning "head" and 'phyllon' meaning leaf in reference to the tufted leaves of some species in the genus. The specific epithet honors Frank Stayner (1907-1981), the curator and horticulturist of the Karoo Botanic Garden. This plant has often been confused in the trade with Malephora purpureo-crocea which is a taller and wider spreading plant with smaller flowers of a similar color.
The information displayed on this page about Cephalophyllum stayneri is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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