Tylecodon is a genus of succulent plants in the Crassulaceae family. Until the late 1970s all these plants were included in the genus Cotyledon, but in 1978 Dr Helmut Tölken of the South Australian Herbarium split them off into a genus of their own. The new name: “Tylecodon” was chosen as an anagram of the earlier name Cotyledon. Tylecodons generally lose their leaves during summer. From mid-autumn to early winter the new leaves are borne in spiral arrangements at the branch tips. The Tylecodon genus is very varied, ranging from dwarf succulents such as Tylecodon reticulatus to Tylecodon paniculatus, which may exceed two metres in height. They all well suited to being raised in rockeries and in pots. When grown in small pots their height can be controlled and they make interesting looking natural bonsai.

Tylecodon grandiflorus, previously known as Cotyledon curviflora, Cotyledon grandiflora, Cotyledon purpurea sensu and Cotyledon tuberculosa, is a caudiciform South African endemic species found in the Northern Cape, and Western Cape provinces. This Tylecodon forms a caudex and grows up to 60cm tall. The plants grow bumps along the stems and the caudex will eventually branch. The leaves are fuzzy and that gives them a slight shimmery effect. This is a winter grower. Grow this plant in full sun to part shade. Water the plant while in leaf and keep it dry during dormancy once the leaves have dropped. The flower is orange and quite large.