Glottiphyllum is a genus of about 57 species of succulent subtropical plants of the family Aizoaceae. It is closely related to the Gibbaeum and Faucaria genera. The name comes from ancient Greek glottis “tongue” and phyllon “leaf”. The species are native to South Africa, specifically to the Cape Province and the Karoo desert. They grow in rocks and soils incorporating slate, sandstone and quartz. Rainfall in their native areas is between 125 and 500 mm, most of which falls in March and November. Glottiphyllum plants have thick, soft leaves arranged in pairs that are low to the ground and often graze the soil surface. They also have rhizomes. They sport yellow flowers with narrow petals in autumn and winter. The flowers are sometimes fragrant and around 5 cm in diameter. The species readily interbreed, making hybridization easy.

Glottiphyllum linguiforme, synonymously known as Glottiphyllum cilliersiae, Glottiphyllum latifolium, Glottiphyllum ryderae, Mesembryanthemum linguiforme, Mesembryanthemum linguiforme var. scalpratum, Mesembryanthemum linguiforme or Mesembryanthemum scalpratum and commonly known as Tongblaarvygie in Afrikaans, is a South African endemic species found in the Western Cape province’s Oudtshoorn area, ranging to Calitzdorp, where it is threatened by ongoing grazing, trampling and soil erosion as a result of ostrich farming. Glottiphyllum linguiforme has 2 rows of incurved, strap-shaped, grey-green leaves with rounded tips slightly bent outward.