Cephalophyllum is a captivating genus of low-growing, mat-forming to trailing succulent plants in the Aizoaceae, the ice plant or vygie family. These hardy little jewels are strongly associated with the winter-rainfall regions of western South Africa and extend northwards into south-western Namibia, with many species adapted to open, stony, sandy, or renosterveld and fynbos habitats where rainfall is seasonal and drainage is sharp. The name Cephalophyllum comes from Greek words meaning “head” and “leaf”, referring to the compact, head-like clusters of succulent leaves produced by many species. In cultivation, the genus is loved for its neat creeping habit, drought tolerance, and brilliant daisy-like flowers, which may be yellow, red, orange, pink, purple or bicoloured depending on the species, often opening in the brighter part of the day to attract pollinators.

Cephalophyllum curtophyllum, synonymously known as Cephalophyllum artum, Cephalophyllum concinnum, Cephalophyllum conicum, Cephalophyllum latipetalum, Cephalophyllum platycalyx, Cephalophyllum rhodandrum or Mesembryanthemum curtophyllum is a South African endemic species found in the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces. Depending on the local conditions these plants are either compact or sprawling, often starting life under a . In spite of the name (with short leaves), with a length of 3.5-5 cm the leaves are by no means the shortest in the genus. The flowers are about 4 cm in diameter and purple with white stamens or (more rarely) cream-coloured with purple-brown stamens; they appear from June through September. The plants occur from the Cedarberg to the western Little Karoo on open slopes or in dry, open scrub. This species is probably more variable in flower and growth form than any other Cephalophyllum.