Pleiospilos simulans

Pleiospilos simulans is a compact succulent perennial native to dry shrubland in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Each short plant forms paired, thick gray-green leaves with finely textured surfaces that resemble stones. A large yellow flower opens from the center of the leaf pair and displays numerous narrow petals around a pale inner ring. New leaf pairs develop from the central fissure and gradually replace the older pair, which shrivels as stored moisture is transferred. Photographed in Florida.