Geologic camouflage

The UBC Botanical Garden's Botany Photo of the Day recently highlighted Pleiospilos nelii, one of many plants known as stone plants.


Pleiospilos nelii
Even neater than the picture, though, is the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden's summary of the life history, anatomy, and ecological conditions of four genera in family Aizoaceae that all live in xeric enviornments and have adapted to look like rocks.

The only problem with the UC Berkeley summary is that there are no picutres. So, to help with that, here are links to Google Image searches for most of the listed plants:

• Argyroderma
  
• Argyroderma delaetii
  
• Argyroderma congregatum
  
• Argyroderma crateriforme
  
• Argyroderma pearsonii
• Pleiospilos
• Pleiospilos nelii; see also the UBC photo
• Pleiospilos simulans
• Dinteranthus
• Dinteranthus microspermus
• Dinteranthus wilmotianus
• Dinteranthus pole-evansii
• Lapidaria
  
• Lapidaria margaretae

Reference:

Image from UBC Botanical Garden's Botany Photo of the Day Pleiospilos nelii post (Creative Commons licensed)

Categories:

• biology
• botany
• taxonomy