About Astroloba corrugata N.L.Mey. & Gideon F.Sm.
Astroloba corrugata is a compact species of the genus Astroloba. It produces slender, sprawling stems that can reach up to 20 centimetres in length, densely covered with spirally arranged pointed leaves. The leaves point outwards, and bear faint keels that lack a distinct margin. The leaves are green, but turn reddish when exposed to direct sunlight. The outer surface of the leaves is covered in distinctive tiny speckled asperous tubercles; unlike the tubercles of Astroloba bullulata, these are the same colour as the rest of the leaf. The tubercles sometimes cluster together along longitudinal lines. These smaller, more evenly distributed tubercles, which sometimes form longitudinal rows on the leaf surface, are the clearest characteristic for identifying this species. Astroloba corrugata can also be distinguished by its smaller out-curved leaves with non-marginated tips. During the dry summer, from October to February, it produces upright sparse inflorescences holding creamy-white flowers that are sometimes faintly pink or green. This species is indigenous to the southern strip of the Western Cape, South Africa, where it grows in the far western corner of the Little Karoo. Its native habitat range extends from near Barrydale in the southeast to near Touws Rivier in the northwest. Isolated outlying populations can be found as far from the main range as Ladismith and the Rooinek pass. It typically grows on shale or clay flats.
