MESEMBRYANTHEMUM

Mesembryanthemum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 480. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 215. 1754; Aptenia Br., Gard. Chron., ser.3, 78: 412. 1925; Vivrette, Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org 4:83.

Herbs, annual or perennial, prostrate or erect, usually short lived, succulent, usually conspicuously papillate, glabrous. Stem prostrate or ascending. Leaves basal and cauline, alternate or opposite, sessile or petiolate; stipules absent; blade reddish with age, flat or terete, margin often undulate. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, flowers solitary or in cymes; bracts absent or 1-2, sessile or pedicellate. Flowers showy of different colours, 4-50 mm in diameter, tubular. Calyx lobes (4-)5, 2 often leaflike. Petals (including petaloid staminodes) 20-40 (-150), free or connate into short tube, white, pink or yellowish, linear, nectary glands 5. Stamens 30 (-120), united at base. Pistil (4-) 5 carpellate, ovary half- inferior or inferior, (4-) 5-loculed, convex, placentation parietal or axile; stigmas (4-) 5, erect, filiform. Fruit capsule, persistent, valves (4-) 5, dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds 100-200, black or dark reddish brown, compressed (globose), 1 mm, smooth to rough with minute tubercles.

106 species

Mesembryanthemum cordifolium

Mesembryanthemum cordifolium L.f., Suppl. Pl. 260. 1782; Aptenia cordifolia (L.f.) Schwantes, Gartenflora 77: 69. 1928; Vivrette, Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org 4:84.

Succulent, creeping, mat-forming perennial herb, often rooting at nodes; minutely papillate to smooth, glabrous. Stems prostrate, ascending, up to 60 cm long and 10 cm in height, green, branched, terete. Leaves cauline, opposite, those of each pair equal, petiolate; leaf blade 1-3 cm x 0.5-5 cm, cordate or ovate, flat, margins entire, apex acute, base cordate, densely covered by papillae. Stipules absent. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, Flowers solitary, axillary, ebracteate, bisexual, actinomorphic, epigynous, sessile, showy, campanulate, bright pink or purplish-red, ca. 1 cm across; pedicel +/- 1 cm long. Hypanthium conic, +/- squarish, ca. 7 mm long. Calyx lobes green, 2-5 mm long, studded with fine papillae, 4, unequal, 2 larger, foliaceous, 2 narrow, linear-lanceolate. Androecium in many whorls, arising from hypanthium; outer 4-6 whorls staminodes, 150+, connate proximally forming a tube, staminodes (3-4 mm long) in outer 2-3 whorls 3-4 mm long, linear-lanceolate, petaloid, bright pink or purplish; inner 2-3 whorls become gradually linear and shorter, pale yellow. and in centre are stamens. Stamens 80+, erect, ca. 3 mm long. Pistil 1, 4-carpellate; ovary inferior, 4-locular, ovules many per loculus, placentation axile; styles absent; stigmas 4, linear.

^{Fruits capsules, hygroscopic, obconic, valves 4, valve lids and wings absent. Seeds numerous, brownish black, flat, tuberculate. (Fruits not observed)}

Flowering and Fruiting: April to May
Common Names: Baby Sun rose, Heart-leaf, Red Aptenia, Aptenia, Heartleaf Ice plant, Heart-leaved Aptenia, Heart-leaved midday flower