This bizarre little succulent looks like a baby's butt
Gibbaeum heathii is endemic to a valley in South Africa that is surrounded by mountains and receives very little rainfall, allowing a huge range of succulent species to thrive. This bababoutjies — or baby's bum — is one of them. Baby’s bum (Gibbaeum heathii) is a clump-forming succulent that is native to a small region of South Africa. (Image credit: Alamy)
A small succulent that grows in a huge valley surrounded by mountains in South Africa is often the butt of people's jokes. But why is this cheeky little plant, standing just 2.4 inches (6 centimeters) high, so amusing? A clue might be in its name: bababoutjies — which translates to baby's bum.
Baby’s bum (Gibbaeum heathii) is a clump-forming succulent that grows two to three smooth globe-shaped leaves, with older leaves protecting the new growth, persisting at the base and covering the stems. Flowers grow through the center in late winter and early spring, with colors varying from white and pink to yellow.
The plant leaves are usually gray-green in color, but when new leaves come through, the older ones can turn pink under certain conditions, making it look even more like a baby's bottom.
"Many succulents do change colour from green to reddish and it is usually a response to stress by either water and or light," Paul Rees, the nursery manager at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, told Live Science. "If plants receive too much light, they redden to help protect them from sunburn. Also, if there is a lack of water for a sustained period of time, they can redden to help them cope with water stress."
A small succulent that grows in a huge valley surrounded by mountains in South Africa is often the butt of people's jokes. But why is this cheeky little plant, standing just 2.4 inches (6 centimeters) high, so amusing? A clue might be in its name: bababoutjies — which translates to baby's bum.
Baby’s bum (Gibbaeum heathii) is a clump-forming succulent that grows two to three smooth globe-shaped leaves, with older leaves protecting the new growth, persisting at the base and covering the stems. Flowers grow through the center in late winter and early spring, with colors varying from white and pink to yellow.
The plant leaves are usually gray-green in color, but when new leaves come through, the older ones can turn pink under certain conditions, making it look even more like a baby's bottom.
"Many succulents do change colour from green to reddish and it is usually a response to stress by either water and or light," Paul Rees, the nursery manager at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, told Live Science. "If plants receive too much light, they redden to help protect them from sunburn. Also, if there is a lack of water for a sustained period of time, they can redden to help them cope with water stress."
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30 November 2023
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