Encyclopedia

Leitfaden zur Gattung Avonia: sieben papierartig beschuppte, südafrikanische Sukkulenten, Abspaltungen von Anacampseros, mit geschwollenen Caudices unter überlappenden weißen Schuppen.

Leitfaden zur Gattung Blossfeldia: die monotypische Heimat des kleinsten Kaktus der Welt, einer rippenlosen, dornenlosen Felsspalten-Sukkulente aus den trockenen Anden.

Guía del género Blossfeldia: el hogar monotípico del cactus más pequeño del mundo, una suculenta sin costillas ni espinas que habita en grietas rocosas de los Andes áridos.

Guide to the genus Avonia: seven papery-scaled southern African succulents, segregates of Anacampseros, with swollen caudices under overlapping white scales.

Guide to the genus Blossfeldia: the monotypic home of the world’s smallest cactus, a ribless, spineless, rock-crevice succulent from the dry Andes.

Curator reference for Avonia herreana, the loosely scaled papery perennial of the Central Richtersveld quartz, Northern Cape, South Africa. Taxonomy and the Kew POWO disagreement, habitat, the diagnostic against A. albissima, winter-rainfall cultivation, soil mix, CITES status and seed propagation.

Curator reference for Avonia quinaria, the turnip-caudex caudiciform of the Bushmanland quartz plains, whose papery stipules rank in fives. Taxonomy and the Avonia versus Anacampseros split, habitat, morphology, the summer growing calendar, CITES Appendix I status since March 2026, and why a plant this easy to germinate is Endangered in the wild.

Curator reference for Blossfeldia liliputana, the smallest cactus in the world at 10 to 12 mm across, a spineless crevice plant from the Andean gorges of northwest Argentina and southern Bolivia. Taxonomy, habitat, morphology, the lowest stomatal density of any terrestrial vascular plant, and cultivation notes for ungrafted plants.

Curator reference for Avonia ustulata, the Karoo shale outlier of the papery-scaled Avonia and the plant whose root once leavened Cape honey beer. Taxonomy under both the Avonia and Anacampseros names, habitat across the Eastern Cape, Free State and Western Cape, morphology, identification against A. papyracea, and cultivation notes.

Curator reference for Avonia papyracea, the papery white Karoo succulent that grows flat on quartz gravel in the Little and Great Karoo of South Africa. Taxonomy and the GBIF versus Kew genus disagreement, habitat, morphology, identification against Avonia albissima, SANBI conservation status, CITES Appendix II, soil mix and watering.