Craterostigma wilmsii
(Scrophulariaceae)
Mole’s Spectacles.
This diminutive plant is fairly common on Buffelskloof, occupying shallow seasonally wet soils over sheetrock. It’s a true resurrection plant that shrivels up and becomes dormant in the dry season and then, overnight, regains its normal green state after a shower of rain.
This is the main plant that Prof. Jill Farrant and her team at the University of Cape Town are using in their work in genetically engineering drought-resistant crops.
