Ceraria is a genus of succulent shrubs, native to South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 and Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

.

Description

They are very slow-growing, semi-deciduous or deciduous, and succulent perennials with a few branches and many small, ovoidal leaves along the stems. Branches are pale-barked smooth with papery cortex. These woody-stemed desert shrubs have many short and ovoid gray-green leaves. Flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s, born on peduncles of 13-17mm long, with some minute ovate bracts 4mm long. Calyx

Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...

 with 2 phyllous, 5 rose-colored, obovate, 2mm long petal

Petal

Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...

s. Five stamen

Stamen

The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...

s with linear filaments.

Species

Ceraria carrissoana

Ceraria evora

Ceraria fruticulosa

Ceraria gariepina

Ceraria kaokoensis

Ceraria kuneneana

Ceraria longipedunculata

Ceraria namaquensis syn. Portulacaria armiana, Namaqualand ceraria (False portulacaria, Namaqua porkbush)

Ceraria pygmaea syn. Portulacaria pygmaea

Ceraria schaeferi