Monilaria PISIFORMIS - Monilaria pisiformis.
Monilarias in the family Aizoaceae received their name from the resemblance of their stems to strings of beads, from the Latin "monile". The local name translates as pea mesemb (ertjievygie in Afrikaans). The homeland of monilarias is Namaqualand, in the west and north of the Cape Province of South Africa. In nature, they grow on clayey and sandy soils.
These are usually small dwarf shrubs (reaching a very respectable age, possibly a hundred years) with constrictions at stem nodes dividing it into short rounded or slightly elongated granule-like segments. The stems are quite succulent, similar, in our view, to the stems of Psilocaulon, considered the only example of stem succulence among mesembs.
Like Mitrophyllum, monilaria leaves are of two types: short and long. Small, almost entirely fused, very succulent leaves of the first type form an almost single rounded body, similar to Conophytum. The second pair of leaves develops by the beginning of the wet season, rupturing the top of the primary body. They are elongated-cylindrical in shape, fused only at the very base, somewhat resembling leaves of Ebracteola. The epidermis is covered with special structures - outgrowths of water-storing cells. When drying up, the leaves of the second type leave behind a parchment sheath-covering that provides protection from sunlight for the forming new leaves. During the dormancy period, the plants appear dried up.
Fragrant diurnal flowers are white, pink, or yellow, topping long solitary peduncles. Monilaria blooms from May to August, that is, in autumn-winter in its homeland. For an individual specimen, flowering lasts about three weeks.
Monilaria pisiformis is distinguished by taller nodose stems. Otherwise, it has all the usual characteristics of Monilaria. It blooms from May to August for 2-3 weeks. The second pair of leaves is scissor-like, semicircular on one side, with a pearly sheen.