One of the many stone-mimicking succulents from Africa, this species only gets about half an inch tall, and usually clusters to about half a foot wide or more. Yellow daisy-like flowers with somewhat darker centers appear from the end of winter to the beginning of spring and open in the late afternoon or early evening.

Grow in filtered sun, avoid afternoon summer sun. Best grown in a container in well-draining cactus soil. This is a cool-growing species which goes dormant in summer, so it is usually recommended to only lightly water occasionally in summer. You can use more moisture when plants start to grow again in fall and through the cool season. Plants are hardy to about 25°F.

The genus, Alionopsis, translates to mean “aloe-like” in reference to some of the species of this genus. The species, schooneesii, is named for Diderikus Anthonie Schoonees (1907-2001), a South African teacher at Steytlerville who wrote several papers on the morphology of anurans (frogs).

Native to South Africa. It grows on silty flats in the the Eastern Cape province.