Stayneria

It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Data List due to habitat loss caused by the expansion of nearby vineyards.[6]

Stayneria neilii is a stout woody shrub of up to 1.5 m in height, bearing reddish brown stems with persistent hardened remains of old leaves. The stem-clasping leaves are dark green, three-sided with a sharp bottom edge and smell like berries. Fragrant leaves in the Aizoaceae family are uncommon and therefore this is an almost unique characteristic rarely found in other genera. Small daisy-like white to pink flowers are arranged in terminal groups of three to seven and borne during the winter and early spring (July to September in the southern hemisphere).[6]

The genus name of Stayneria is in honour of Frank J. Stayner (1907–1981), a South African horticulturist and specialist in succulents. He was also the curator at the Karoo botanical garden.[7][8] The Latin specific epithet of neilii refers to the 20th century South African dairy farmer and nurseryman Mr Neil.[6] The genus was first described and published in J. S. African Bot. Vol.27 on page 47 in 1960.[4] The species was published in J. S. African Bot. Vol.33 on page 306 in 1967.[1]

The genus is recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service, but they do not list any known species.[9]