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"Pebbled Tiger Jaws", the only species that I had in my collection, is a "super succulent" native to the western part of South Africa’s Cape Province. It was always one of my most reliable bloomers, showing its large golden yellow, many-petalled blooms usually in the October/November season; but they normally bloom through to April in habitat. It differs from F. felina the "Cat Chap", only by its tooth-like tubercles on the upper surface of its leaves.
The leaves are in opposite pairs, all pairs growing at right angles to the next adjacent, usually with 2 to 4 pairs to a branch.
The flowers may have up to 200 petals, in nature, but my plants never had more than about half of that number.
The fruit is a short, bell-shaped, compartmented (loculicidal), valve-closed capsule, about 10mm in diameter, which opens and closes with changes in the moisture content of the air (hygrochastic) to allow release of the numerous seeds. Note, however, that compartmentation allows a few seeds to remain each time seeds are allowed to escape. This arrangement is a very beneficial one, in a harsh habitat, for it allows something like periodical release of seed during wet times and protection of reserves during dry seasons. As well, reserves are kept available to replace earlier releases which may not survive their vulnerable, early germination period. Hartmann (2001b) states that most of these plants in cultivation are hybrids and that the true species is very rare in natural habitats. This is not surprising in view of its close similarity to F. felina with which it shares the habitat.