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These star-shaped, Prince-of-the-Stars type leaves are about 2cm across, and they're covered in thick, plush hairs. The plant stays low and mounded on the ground without stretching its stems, so it really does look like a fluffy carpet. In winter, it turns reddish—truly a red carpet! Then in spring, it sends up flower stalks from within the mound, bursting into plenty of delicate white blooms.

It’s similar to C. socialis and C. setulosa , though to be honest, many sources consider it a local form of either socialis or setulosa, so its scientific name varies and it’s not clear which is correct… (Since it’s still unsettled, we decided to use the safest option on this page—our editorial team chickening out a bit.)

For reference, the most common name and scientific label you'll see in Japan is probably “socialis sp. 'Transvaal’ ソシアリスSP トランスバール” (socialis sp. 'Transvaal').

The 'Transvaal' in its name comes from a region in northeastern South Africa, and 'Drakensberg' refers to the famous World Heritage area in Lesotho, just a little farther south—right in the heart of South Africa. They're fascinating and mysterious World Heritage areas you probably haven’t heard much about in Japan.

Just hearing about such places makes you want to go visit, doesn’t it?