A common associate of dwarf succulents in much of Namaqualand and the Richtersveld, R. platyphyllus (Hyacinthaceae) is sometimes seen in the background in habitat photos of conophytums and the like. However, these plants are so diminutive and cryptic that they are frequently overlooked—just the sort of underdog (underbulb?) that some of us cannot resist growing and propagating. The small subterranean bulb, rather like a miniature Brunsvigia, produces one or two prostrate leaves in winter, which die back in summer. Each leaf is barely 2 cm long, with a distinctive pair of impressed, parallel veins that divide the leaf into three longitudinal sections. We offer seedlings of HBG 69176, plants collected July 27, 1990, by J. Berdach (# 11202) on steep S-facing ridges of Enon conglomerate, Le Roux Station, near De Rust, W. Cape, S. Africa. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 79 (2), March - April, 2007