3.1. Cheiridopsis subgenus Cheiridopsis .

Type: C. rostrata N.E.Br.

Compact perennial shrubs, sometimes mat-forming. Leaves heterophyllous, with subsequent leaf pairs unequal along stem; surface velvety, with no epidermal elevations formed above subhypodermal idioblasts; epidermal cells forming blunt papillae; sheaths partially or fully enclosing the emerging leaf pair during dormancy. Flowers cream to yellow, rarely orange, red. Capsules with decumbent pedicels; top flat to rounded, base funnel-shaped; valve wings narrow, 1 / 3 width of valve or rarely rectangular, often narrowing in an awn distally; covering membranes prominently undulate, often with additional protrusions in subcentral position; closing bodies large, blocking at least ¾ of the locule. Seeds mostly smooth, rarely papillate.

Diagnostic characters and distribution: Cheiridopsis subgenus Cheiridopsis includes 14 species that are distinguished by their decumbent capsules (Figs 5A, 7E) and heterophyllous leaves. Some species ( C. meyeri, C. minor, C. namaquensis and C. peculiaris) can be distinguished by the sheath that fully encloses the emerging leaf pair during the dormant period (Fig. 8C).

The species occur from the Richtersveld, southwards to Langebaan, with the centre of diversity in the Springbok-Steinkopf Region (Fig. 6B).

Recognized species: Cheiridopsis amabilis S.A.Hammer, C.delphinoides S.A.Hammer, C.derenbergiana Schwantes, C. gamoepensis S.A.Hammer, C. imitans L.Bolus, C. meyeri N.E.Br., C. minor (L.Bolus) H.E.K.Hartmann, C. namaquensis (Sond.) H.E.K.Hartmann, C. pearsonii N.E.Br., C. peculiaris N.E.Br., C. rostrata (L.) N.E.Br., C. schlechteri Tischer, C. turbinata L.Bolus, C. umbrosa S.A.Hammer & Desmet.