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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 about Cephalophyllum stayneri that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.
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