Succulent perennial of the Crassulaceae family, this species is native to the Eastern Cape province in South Africa, where it grows on rocky outcrops and well-exposed stony slopes, at moderate altitudes. It naturally forms dense colonies on poor, well-drained substrates, which explains its Latin epithet evoking its gregarious nature.
It forms small, compact, and regular mats, 5 to 8 cm in height, composed of numerous interlocking rosettes with very small, fleshy, triangular, and pointed leaves, bright green to gray-green, sometimes slightly edged with powdery white on the margins. This tight arrangement of rosettes gives the plant an almost geometric appearance, immediately recognizable.
The flowers are tiny, star-shaped, pure white, grouped in small cymes borne on slender, graceful stems that rise above the foliage, creating an effect of lightness contrasting with the density of the cushion.
In its natural environment, its flowering extends in the southern spring, from September to November. In cultivation under our latitudes, it generally blooms from April to June.
In cultivation, it requires full sun, a very well-drained and poor mineral substrate. In its natural environment of the Eastern Cape, it withstands light and brief nighttime frosts, its tissues being naturally dehydrated under a dry winter climate. This tolerance does not translate to European cultivation conditions: in practice, it must be kept frost-free and brought under dry shelter from autumn.