Odontophorus, belonging to the Aizoaceae family, thrive in containers outside of their habitat. They are best grown in well-drained soil. Seeds germinate readily and plants can also be grown from cuttings. They are all winter growing. They are found in the vicinity of Steinkopf in the Richtersveld.

Odontophorus marlothii, synonymously known as Odontophorus meyeri, is a range restricted South African endemic species found in the Northern Cape, from Steinkopf to Springbok growing on shale and quartzite slopes. While the other species in Odontophorus form tight clusters of heads, Odontophorus marlothii develops long woody branches which extend out from plant in various directions, often using neighbouring shrubs for support, or trailing along the ground if no such support is available. Flowers appear mainly on these extended branches, rather than at the middle of the plant. The stems of new shoots are reddish, but they become grey and woody as they age. The stem diameter is about 2.5 mm or less. On the branches extending out from the middle of the plant, the leaves are widely spaced, so that the stem is very visible, but at the middle of the plant is a cluster of short stems which are hidden by their leaves.

The leaves of Odontophorus marlothii are soft rather than rigid, and they come in pairs, jutting out like little grey-green tugboats on either side of the stem, but conjoined at their bases and clasping the stem. Each leaf is about 25 – 35 mm, and a little less than 7 to 8 mm wide. The upper surface is flattened, while the lower surface is humped and keeled toward the tip. The leaf margins and the keel are adorned with tiny teeth, sometimes sticking straight out and sometimes curving to one side. The leaf surface is covered with tiny, rounded bumps, or tubercles, and atop these are minute bristles which make the leaves rough to the touch. The flowering time for Odontophorus marlothii is late autumn to winter.