Aizoon glinoides

Aizoon glinoides, commonly called the silky baconfig, in Afrikaans the spekvygie (bacon mesemb) and previously scientifically A. hirsutum, is a sprawling, hairy, leaf succulent becoming around 5 cm tall.

The specific name, glinoides, is derived from the Greek words glinos meaning sweet juice and -oides meaning resembling, referring to the similarity of this plant to some species in the Glinus genus.

The species distribution is in the east of the Western Cape, the eastern Little Karoo continuing in the Eastern Cape. The photo was taken near the Kouga River.

The habitat is often-dry flats where the plants grow in the open in disturbed clay soils. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).