Huernia barbata subsp. barbata

Huernia barbata subsp. barbata is a dwarf stem succulent reaching about 6 cm in height. It spreads in forming clumps of the erect stems, sometimes wider than 25 cm.

The subspecies distribution is in the Northern Cape from Namaqualand and inland, ranging through the Western Cape Karoo and Little Karoo to the Eastern Cape as far as Kariega (Uitenhage).

The habitat is karoid scrub, the ground often stony. The subspecies is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Frandsen, 2017; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; White and Sloane, 1937; iNaturalist; http://llifle.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).