This bright, ground-hugging little annual forms patches of brilliant, almost iridescent colour in spring. The name Dorotheanthus was given by Dr Martin Heinrich Schwantes in honour of his mother Dorothea. The genus Dorotheanthus has 6 species in South Africa with 2 of them occurring in Namaqualand. The family Mesembryanthemaceae consists of all the vygies” and has 124 genera.

Dorotheanthus maughanii is a rare South African endemic species from the Northern Cape Province. It is synonymously known as Pherolobus maughanii and Pherolobus maughanii var. stayneri. Dorotheanthus maughanii is a very striking species that grows from 5 cm to 10 cm tall. It has a groundcover habit. It has spathulate leaves and cream flowers with vivid orange and red centres.