Origin and Habitat: Vondeling to Willowmore, which lies near the boundary of Eastern and Western Cape Provinces, South africa Africa.
Habitat: It is an opportunistic grower, common to locally abundant in rock crevices on shaded cliff faces.

• Carruanthus ringens (L.) Boom
• Mesembryanthemum ringens L.

• Carruanthus ringens (L.) Boom
• Mesembryanthemum ringens L.
• Carruanthus caninus (Lamarck) Schwantes
• Bergeranthus caninus (Haw.) Schwantes
• Mesembryanthemum caninum Lamarck

Description: Carruanthus ringensSN|27844]]SN|27844]] is a small, short-stemmed branched perennial succulent with fleshy roots. The leaves are crowded and fnelely toothed resembling those of the almost toothless "tiger jaws" (Faucaria). The species forms rather mats in habitat up to 100 mm in diameter, and in cultivation has an ultimate height of 20 cm and spread of 40 cm. The flowers are similar in shape and colour to dandelions with fewer petals.
Stems: Very short branched.
Leaves: Simple, paired and united at the base in a flat rosette developing from a short branching stem, succulent, yellowish-green to blue-silver-green, lanceolate, trigonous, broadening at the apex with the keel chinned near the apex, finely toothed along margins and towards apex, unlike the smooth margins in the rest of the group, to 60 mm long and 18 mm broad.
Flowers: Solitary or in dichotomous cymes on pedicels to 10 cm long, 40-50 mm in diameter, yellow with yellowish-orange tops, petals to to 2 mm broad with ensheathing bracts.
Blooming season: It flowers in late winter.
Fruits (capsules): 5-locular, valve rims very high, the covering membranes and closing bodies reduced or missing. Carruanthus capsules are hygrochastic, an intriguing mechanism whereby seeds are dispersed by raindrops. When it rains, the keels of the wet seed capsules push open valves. Raindrops hitting the open seed capsule splatter seeds in different directions, thus ensuring recruitment and the subsequent survival of the species.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Peter Goldblatt “Cape Plants: A Conspectus of the Cape Flora of South Africa” National Botanical Institute of South Africa, 2000
2) Heidrun E.K. Hartmann “Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Aizoaceae A-E” Springer, 2002
3) Gideon Smith u.a. "Mesembs of the World: Illustrated Guide to a Remarkable Succulent Group." Briza Publications, 1998
4) Hermann Jacobsen “Lexicon of Succulent Plants” Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. 1974
5) Gordon D. Rowley “The illustrated encyclopedia of succulents” Crown Publishers, 01/Aug/1978
6) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug./2011
7) Ernst Van Jaarsveld, Ben-Erik Van Wyk, Gideon Smith “Succulents of South Africa: A Guide to the Regional Diversity” Tafelberg Publishers, Limited, 01/lug/2000

Cultivation and Propagation: Carruanthus are easy and rewarding plants than can be grown in pots or in the rock-garden. They can be watered year-round, moderately all year round as they tend to be opportunistic plants that tend to grow in each time of the year whenever they have enough water in fair weather and rest when temperatures are too hot or too cool and may have several or sometimes no growth cycles in a year.
Watering: Water regularly from spring to Autumn but reduce watering frequency in winter, growth period is early Spring to late Summer, but is a very adaptable species that can grows opportunistically whenever the water availability and growing condition are favourable. No water should ever be allowed to stand around the roots. But it adapts to different growing conditions from extreme heat and drought, to high moisture as it has a low rot potential. It must be grown very hard in the nursery as close to the natural conditions as possible. This ensures that it keeps its compact habit.
Exposition: Keep them cool, and half-shaded in summer, need full sun or light shade on the other seasons.
Soil: Give the plant a well drained, airy, growing medium which mainly consists of non organic material such us clay, pumice, lava grit, and only a little peat or leaf-mould. In the garden it adapts to chalk, clay loam, loam, loamy sand, sandy clay, sandy clay loam and sandy loam soils with a pH ranging from 6 to 8.
Feeding: Feed the plant with slow release fertiliser occasionally.
Re-potting: The plant grows rather slowly in pot. When necessary, re-pot to a slightly bigger pot. The pot should be just slightly bigger than the original pot and with a hole for drainage.
Hardiness: It is cultivated in open air warm Mediterranean climate, but can withstand light frost if dry, in these situations it will better resist if sheltered by the winter rains, seen that the humidity and low temperatures render it more sensitive to rottenness. Plants in containers however, suffered major leaf loss.
Propagation: Cuttings or (rarely) seeds. It is easy to propagate by cuttings in late spring to summer, just take a rosette cutting directly into the soil (preferably dry, loose, extremely well draining soil).