Jan 4
Othonna retrofracta
While not all species of Othonna are dwarf fat-stemmed plants, quite a few of them are, including Othonna retrofracta. It is native to the winter-rainfall area in western South Africa, and northward a little way into neighboring Namibia. It is leafless during the dry summer months, putting out leaves and flowers during the winter rainy season. The fat trunk with its peeling bark makes it look like a natural bonsai. Othonnas belong to the Asteraceae, or Daisy Family. Like other members of the family, the small flowers are held crowded together in a cup called a capitulum, with the cluster often being mistaken for a single flower.
-Brian
