Unusual succulents for the collector, landscaper & gardener
Ralph Peckover's passion for nature from a young age, along with a fascination with observing and growing rare and unusual plants, has led him on many field trips over the years to study plants in their natural habitat.

Ralph's painstaking research culminated in his discovery of new Brachystelma species, some of which were considered extinct, and which were described by him for the first time - B. christianeae,  B. kerzneri, B. bikitaensis and B. lutea.



In 1996, Ralph was approached by Nature Conservation in North West Province to cultivate the very rare Euphorbia perangusta and replant over 100 of these back in their natural habitat.

B. kerzneri
B. christianeae
B. lutea
Hoodia gordonii Project, Northern Cape
Notes on Brachystelma perditum, B. thunbergii and the continued existence of B. praelongum.
ALOE 28 No.3&4, 1991

Taxonomic questions within the genus Brachystelma: a few examples.
ALOE 30 No.3&4, 1993

Flower colour variation in Brachystelma discoideum.
ALOE 32 No.3&4, 1995

The cultivation of Brachystelmas from seed.
ALOE 35 No.1, 1998

Two interesting Brachystelmas. [B. caudatum and B. tuberosum]
ALOE 35 No.3&4, 1998

Brachystelma, an unusual and threatened succulent. Must this endemic plant from the Western Cape become extinct?
VELD & FLORA December, 1998

Brachystelma tenellum, lost, but wait ...
VELD & FLORA September, 2014







A further discovery was a new Euphorbia, E. umfoloziensis, found on his uncle's farm near Babanango in Kwazulu- Natal in 1981.

LINKS TO ARTICLES
A new species of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae) from Klein Elandsfontein, Waterberg region, South Africa.
CACTUSWORLD Vol. 39 No. 3

Ceropegia meyeri Decne., an attractive and unusual succulent plant.
ALOE 28 No.3&4, 1991

The Ceropegias of the Makatini Flats.
ALOE 30 No.1, 1993

Ceropegia multiflora: subspecies or natural variation?
ALOE 30 No.1, 1993

When east meets west. [Ceropegia Mafekingensis, a rare but widespread species.]
BCSJ Vol. 16(4), 1998

A new species of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae) from Tanzania.
CACTUSWORLD Vol. 37 No. 3

Ceropegia crinita (Apocynaceae), a new species of Ceropegia sect. Chamaesiphon from South Africa.
CACTUSWORLD Vol. 41 No. 1

Ceropegia namibiensis (Apocynaceae), a new species of Ceropegia sect. Chamaesiphon from Namibia.
CACTUSWORLD Vol. 41 No. 2



About the author : Ralph Peckover
Thorns of the E. umfoloziensis
E. umfoloziensis
For a number of years, Ralph has worked in collaboration with the leading research council CSIR to identify and cultivate indigenous  medicinal plants.
Thorns of the E. perangusta
E. perangusta
He has achieved international recognition for his role in the research project on cultivating Hoodia, a natural appetite suppressant. As a result of this project, large scale Hoodia cultivation took place in the Northern Cape and Namibia.

Hoodia gordonii colour variations
BRACHYSTELMAS - NEW DISCOVERIES
A new species of Brachystelma (Asclepiadaceae) from the Waterberg, Limpopo Province, Brachystelma waterbergensis Peckover sp. nov.
ALOE 22 No.2, 2016

A new species of Brachystelma (Asclepiadaceae) from the Grahamstown area. [B. lutea]
ALOE 29 No.3&4, 1992

A new species of Brachystelma (Asclepiadaceae) from Natal. [B. christianeae]
ALOE 29 No.3&4, 1992

An overlooked miniature Brachystelma species B. angustum Peckover sp. nov. (Asclepiadaceae) from near Caroline, Eastern Transvaal.
ALOE 31 No.3&4, 1994

An unusual Brachystelma species B. setosum Peckover sp. nov. (Asclepiadaceae) from the Dullstroom area, Eastern Transvaal.
ALOE 31 No.3&4, 1994

A coastal species of Brachystelma (Asclepiadaceae) from the Eastern Cape: B. kerzneri Peckover sp. nov.
ALOE 31 No.3&4, 1994

Brachystelma bikitaensis Peckover (Asclepiadaceae), a new Brachystelma from Bikita Mine, Zimbabwe.
ALOE 32 No.3&4, 1995

An unusually beautiful Brachystelma (Asclepiadaceae), B. maritae from Tanzania.
CACTUS AND SUCCULENT JOURNAL (U.S.), Vol.68, 1996

Brachystelma albipilosum, a new dwarf species from Zimbabwe
CACTUS AND SUCCULENT JOURNAL (U.S.), Vol. 69, 1997

Brachystelma molaventi (Asclepiadaceae), a new species from the southern midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
ALOE 36 No.2&3, 1999

A new species of Brachystelma (Asclepiadaceae) from the Waterberg, Limpopo Province, Brachystelma waterbergensis Peckover sp. nov.
ALOE 52 No. 2, 2016

A new species of Brachystelma (Apocynaceae) from Chitipa District, Malawi.
CACTUSWORLD 37 (1) 2019


Brachystelma megasepalum Peckover (Asclepiadaceae), ein neue, grossbluetige Art aus Tansania und Sambia.
KAKTEEN UNDER ANDERE SUKKULENTEN 47 (12), 1996


Brachystelma richardsii, a new species from Zimbabwe.
EXCELSA 17, 1996


A new species of Brachystelma (Apocynaceae) from Iringa and Dodoma Regions, Tanzania.
CACTUSWORLD 37 (1)



BRACHYSTELMAS - GENERAL
CEROPEGIAS
Euphorbia umfoloziensis (Euphorbiaceae), a new species from central Natal.
ALOE 28 No.2, 1991

Euphorbia perangusta on the brink of extinction.
VELD & FLORA December, 1999


EUPHORBIAS
MISCELLANEOUS
The elephant's foot, in habitat and cultivation.
CACTUSWORLD Vol. 41 No. 4

Succulents in the Waterberg, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
CACTUSWORLD Vol. 38 No. 3

Portulaca waterbergensis (Portulacaceae), an unusual new species from the Waterberg, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
CACTUSWORLD Vol. 39 No. 4

The Hoodia gordonii project.
CACTUS WORLD Vol. 31(1)

The living rocks of Mexico. [Ariocarpus]
ALOE 22 No.4, 1985

The unusual odd man out - Macropetalum burchellii.
ALOE 30 No. 1, 1993

Pterodiscus, interesting dwarf caudiciforms.
ALOE 35 No. 3&4, 1998

The pollination of Pseudolithos caput-viperae and its cultivation from seed.
CACTUS AND SUCCULENT JOURNAL (U.S.), Vol. 70, 1998

CITES - why, how ... and does it work.
ALOE 29 No. 3&4, 1992

Aloe spines and kudu browsing. [Letter to the editor]
VELD & FLORA, June 2014

Pterodiscus species: in Southern Africa, an asset for the water wise garden.
VELD & FLORA, June 2015

Two new species of Pterodiscus (Pedaliaceae) from southern Africa.
ALOE 52 No. 1, 2016

A distinctive new species of Pterodiscus (Pedaliaceae) from Angola.
ALOE 54 No. 1, 2018

Biological control of the common aloe scale (Duplachionaspis exalbida) on large aloes.
ALOE 54 No. 1, 2018

A distinctive new species of Pterodiscus (Pedaliaceae) from Ethiopia.
CACTUSWORLD 37 (1)

Pterodiscus - An African endemic.
CACTUS & SUCCULENT JOURNAL 92 No. 1, 2020

Non-specific biological control of several Cereus species in South Africa.
CACTUS & SUCCULENT JOURNAL 91 No. 2, 2019

The living rocks of Mexico do not die that easily.
CACTUSWORLD 40 (1)

Cultivation of the strange desert relic, Welwitschia mirabilis.
CACTUSWORLD 40 (2)