This species name, “Cheiridopsis candidissima” is a synonym of Cheiridopsis denticulata. The name, “Cheiridopsis denticulata”, has also other synonyms:

Cheiridopsis denticulata var. denticulata
Cheiridopsis denticulata var. glauca
Cheiridopsis inconspicua
Cheiridopsis littlewoodii
Cheiridopsis macrophylla
Cheiridopsis vanheerdei
Mesembryanthemum denticulatum

Cheiridopsis candidissima is native to South Africa, in particular to the western part of the Northern Cape. It’s present also in the southern part of Namibia. It grows mainly in winter rainfall regions, with hot and dry summers, but also in areas with autumn and spring rainfall. Its more frequent bedrock is made of granite.

Cheiridopsis candidissima is a nice groundcovering succulent, particularly appreciated for its leaves, greyish glaucous green, opposite, namely arranged in pairs upon the short stems, only one pair of leaves for each stem, 7 centimeters long, pointed, with a generally smooth surface, sometimes wrinckled at its base. Often, into a pair of leaves, one leaf can be different from another. Flowers can reach 8,5 centimeters in diameter, white with orange rims. C. candidissima’s blooming season occurs in winter.

Cheiridopsis candidissima needs a bright spot to grow properly: it is actually capable to protect herself when the sunlight becomes too intense. It’s better to protect the plant from temperatures below 2-5 ºC. The substrate of cultivation should be well draining and rich in minerals. Repotting has to be done often, because C. Candidissima is a groundcovering and tend to expand horizontally, so it needs always larger pots. Fertilizers have to be applied once a month. The vegetative period of this plant starts in September: that’s when you have to start to water it, once every 3-4 days, waiting until the soil is completely dry before each watering.

Propagation can be made through leaves cutting. It’s sufficient to cut a leaf and put it into the soil in September, when the growth season of this plant begins.

The name “Chereidopsis” comes from “Cheiris”, a greek word which means “sleeve”. That’s because, during the summer, the old dried leaves group in a bunch similar to a sleeve that protect the plant from the intense sunlight. The second part of the species name, “Candidissima”, means “very white”: that’s because of their greyish-glaucous-greenish peculiar colour.