The Dorstenia genus honors the German botanist Theodor Dorsten. D. lancifolia is a rare succulent plant with a blackish-green caudex, from where its leaves are born: long, pointed and slightly serrated, of a dark green color, they are covered with a thick white down. During the vegetative rest, the plant loses its leaves and then grows them back during the vegetative activity. In its caudex it stores water to survive during drought periods. It is highly appreciated by green collectors from all over the world for its very particular flower. The inflorescence is flat and almost fourfold, on the inside has rough texture due to the many tiny green or yellow flowers it contains.