Origin and Habitat: Coastal South Africa from Namaqualand in the Northern Cape to Luderitz in Namibia.
Habitat: Grows in areas with sandy or calciferous soils. The plants occur in very dry areas with winter-rainfall of only 100 mm or less. In the wild, the they grows mostly buried by sand. The transparent fenestrate leaf tips are often above the sand and allow light into the leaves for photosynthesis.

• Fenestraria rhopalophylla subs. aurantiaca (N.E.Br.) H.E.K.Hartmann
• Fenestraria aurantiaca N.E.Br.

• Fenestraria rhopalophylla (Schltr. & Diels) N.E.Br.
• Fenestraria aurantiaca f. rhopalophylla (Schltr. & Diels) G.D.Rowley
• Mesembryanthemum rhopalophyllum Schltr. & Diels

• Fenestraria rhopalophylla subs. aurantiaca (N.E.Br.) H.E.K.Hartmann
• Fenestraria aurantiaca N.E.Br.

• Fenestraria rhopalophylla subs. aurantiaca cv. Fireworth

Description: Fenestraria rhopalophyllaSN|11322]]SN|11322]] is an evergreen mat forming geophyte, mainly subterranean with just the tips of the leaves appearing above the soil. The var. aurantiaca distinguish for the flowers that are bright golden yellow coloured (never white).
Stem: Not present or very reduced.
Leaves: Club-shaped flat or rounded on top, often partially buried with translucent, window-like tips on top to admit light. They are smooth and have a waxy layer.
Roots: Thick.
Flowers: Medium-large, golden yellow, solitary or in groups of up to three. They are borne on long pedicels, five sepals with membraneous margins are present, many petals occur in one to several whorls, fine stigmas spread up from the centre of the flower.
Flowering time: From mid-winter (or autumn) to early spring.

Bibliography: Majoer references and further lectures
1) Linda R. Berg “Introductory Botany: Plants, People, and the Environment” Cengage Learning, 02/Mar/2007
2) Dieter J. Von Willert “Life strategies of succulents in deserts: with special reference to the Namib desert” CUP Archive, 1992

Cultivation and Propagation: They are relatively easy to grow.
Soil: They prefer sandy, mineral-rich soil and require a very good drainage and protection from excessive water.
Fertilizer: Be careful not to apply too much fertilizer.
Watering: They require little water otherwise its epidermis breaks (resulting in unsightly scars). They need light sporadic watering during their winter growing period and require only very light sprinkling in summer as they are extremely rot prone if kept too moist when the heat turns off their growth cycle. Water regularly in spring and autumn, soak the compost fully but allow it to dry out perfectly between waterings. Nearly all problems occur as a result of overwatering and poor ventilation especially when weather conditions are dull and cool or very humid.
Exposure: They do well in full blazing sun, but keep cool and shaded in summer.
Hardiness: Hardy to -4°C.
Maintenance: Avoid to repot frequently. This plant may stay in the same pot for many years. Plants grown in larger containers have frequently relatively poor flowers. They might improve when the plants are given their own, small individual pots.
Propagation: They can be reproduced both by cuttings and seeds. Take the cutting from a grown-up mother plant. Each cutting must contain one or more heads along with a fraction of root.