CALYPTROTHECA SOMALENSIS

This member of the Portulacaceae family was first described by Ernest Friedrich Gilg in 1897. It is found in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, growing in a well drained soil with some water and some to lots of sun. The massive swollen stem can grow to 30 centimetres in diameter. The branches will reach for three meters, and the flowers are greenish-white.

The species name from Greek: kalyptra; 'covering, woman's hat, and also Greek; theke; 'a case' for the dehiscence of the capsule, which opens from the base with six slits, the top falling off like a loped cap.

The species name indicates it origin from Somalia.