This very rare Asclepiad and one of only two endemic species from the Dhofar region of Oman, the other being a Dhofaria macleishii (of the Capparaceae family). It is extremely drought tolerant and slow growing. It is an ideal plant for a small collection as it grows very slowly. I have had mine for about 3-4 years now and it has only grown by 4 centimeters in that period. Not suprisingly, it does appreciate warm temperatures, at least 20°C. Despite the fact that it grows in the full sun in the wild, my experience with this plant has shown that it can be grown in the shade without any problem.
It will also flower well, producing up to ten flowers successively in October-November. The flowers are about half a centimeter in diameter and stay open for two or three days. On my plant, they are produced on the new growth at the end of the stem, but in older plants with more growth, they grow in the leaf axils. You can see a picture of a dried specimen here. The few leaves the plant produces at the end of the stem, drop off before the flowers appear. The leaves you see growing in the picture are from a different plant, a Dorstenia foetida.
The plant was named Cibirhiza dhofarensis by Peter Bruyns, but is also known as Cibirhiza dhofarica. Cibirhizas are closely related to Fockea, a well-known species of that genus being Fockea edulis. The tuber of the Cibirhiza is supposed to be edible, but I have not tried it, because I only have one plant and it would be a shame to destroy it.
Cibirhiza dhofarensis
Cibirhiza dhofarensis
Paul Shirley Succulents 