The home of Glottiphyllum cruciatum is restricted to a few sites in the Little Karoo between Oudtshoorn and Calitzdorp. The plant sprawls in gravelly soils, not becoming taller than 15 cm. The generic name means leaf resembling a uvula. The specific epithet means in the form of a cross.

The succulent leaf pairs are finger-like, erect and triangular in cross-section. The leaf surfaces are shiny, hairless and bright green. Flowers are single with many shiny yellow petals and a dense bunch of short yellow stamens in the centre.

The petals recurve slightly a little before the rounded tips. Blooming occurs in winter (Wikimedia; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Van Jaarsveld, et al, 2000).