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Mesembryanthemum tortuosum L.

Species

Angiosperms > Caryophyllales > Aizoaceae > Mesembryanthemoideae > Mesembryanthemum > Mesembryanthemum subg. Phyllobolus > Mesembryanthemum sect. Planifolia

Characteristics

Perennials. Leaves flat and broad. Dry leaves persistent and ‘skeletonized’ through lignified veins. Prostrate to scrambling perennial. Leaves imbricate, tips incurved, to 40 mm long, bladder cells large. Flowers subsessile, white to pale yellow, pale salmon or pale pink, ±20-30 mm diam. Fruits 4-or 5-locular, with valve wings.
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Decumbent or scrambling, succulent shrub. Leaves overlapping, flattened, up to 40 mm long, tips incurved, bladder-cells large but rather plain, secondary veins straight. Flowers more-or-less sessile, white to pale yellow, pale salmon or pale pink, 20-30 mm diam. Fruit 4(5)-locular, valve wings present.
Perennial, dwarf shrublet, up to 0.3 m high. Leaves linear-lanceolate, with 3-5 straight veins, imbricate, bladder cells flat, apex incurved. Flowers solitary, sessile, white to pale yellow. Flowering time Aug.-June. Capsules 4-or 5-locular, valve wings present.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality -
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.18 - 0.19
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-10

Usage

Uses food medicinal
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Masticatory (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Mesembryanthemum tortuosum world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID -
WFO ID wfo-0001038776
COL ID 3ZZDK
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Sceletium namaquense Mesembryanthemum concavum Phyllobolus tortuosus Mesembryanthemum tortuosum Sceletium boreale Sceletium compactum Sceletium concavum Sceletium framesii Sceletium gracile Sceletium joubertii Sceletium ovatum Sceletium tortuosum Sceletium tugwelliae Pentacoilanthus tortuosus Tetracoilanthus concavus Mesembryanthemum aridum Sceletium namaquense var. subglobosum
WorldFloraDB 2024