And now for something completely different

About plants, clued into Ruschia lineolata ‘Nana’, or dwarf carpet of stars, by Erick Barros (who grows it) yesterday. The Wikipedia photo of the plant in bloom:

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Wikipedia on the genus:

Ruschia is a genus of succulent plant, in the family Aizoaceae, indigenous to the dryer parts of southern Africa.

And Wikipedia on the family:

The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1800 species. They are commonly known as ice plants or carpet weeds. … Highly succulent species that resemble stones are sometimes called mesembs.

But now to dwarf carpet of stars — touted on the Rushianana website as

The Best Lawn Substitute: Ruschia lineolata ‘Nana’ or ‘Dwarf Carpet of Stars’ is a high quality, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance alternative to grass.

The site ticks off some of its properties (lightly edited by AMZ)

— full sun

— low growing groundcover – height 1″ to 2

— blooms in early spring and autumn

— drought tolerant

— great as lawn substitute – takes foot traffic

— evergreen succulent with rubbery texture

— great for living roofs

— no mowing – low maintenance

— erosion and weed control

— cold tolerance (20f) and heat tolerance (120f)

Then in an ad photo from the site:

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