It is a long-lived winter-growing, summer-resting succulent and the plants form small mats, a habit that is retained in cultivation. The plants grows in quartz crevices and rocky pockets on south-facing cliffs and steep slopes and sometimes well-camouflaged on quartz flats. However always in regions where fog is plentiful. The succulent nature enables the plant to survive the long dry summers when the plant goes into its resting phase. Like most other species of Conophytum, at the end of spring, the moisture from the old fused leaf pair is recycled into a new leaf pair, and the withered remnants of the old leaf pair becomes a covering, protecting the younger leaf pair from sun exposure. During autumn, with cooler conditions, the new leaf pair and flower emerge, breaking through the protective covering. The simple, small, nocturnal, scented, reddish flowers appear in early autumn and are pollinated by a night-flying insect. The dry fruiting capsules retain the seed like most other species of Conophytum, only to release the seeds during a period of rain. The capsule is is hygrochastical, opening with moisture and closing again with dry conditions. During a rain event, the seeds are dispersed. The small seed has a rough surface ideal for establishment in crevices. 

Fig. 6. Painting of Conophytum stephanii subsp. helmutii by botanical artists Lisa Strachan from plants originating from the Richtersveld National Park, Northern Cape.