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Hardy yellow ice plant (Delosperma nubigenum)

Description

Delosperma nubigenum forms a low mat of succulent leaves, bearing loads of small starry yellow flowers in late spring. The evergreen leaves are thick, oblong or linear, and fleshy. Each leaf is 1.2 inches (3 cm) long and one 0.25 inch (6 mm) wide. They are fat and succulent thus making them drought tolerant. This groundcover only grows to 2 inches (5 cm) tall but can spread as wide as 36 inches (90 cm). Delosperma ('delos'=evident, 'sperma'=seed) is a genus of around 100 species of succulent plants, formerly included in Mesembryanthemum in the family Aizoaceae. The family is common in southern and eastern Africa. Delosperma species, as do most Aizoaceae, have hygrochastic capsules, opening and closing with changes in humidity. Plants of the Delosperma genus can be distinguished by their seed capsules. When these open (in response to rain), the seeds are exposed and not covered by a protective membrane, like those of most other plants in the family. The membrane is sometimes reduced to just a ledge (a feature shared by the related genus Trichodiadema. The triangular valves, which open outwards when wet, each have distinctive wings on either side. Delosperma leaves tend to grooved or covered in bladder cells, which are sometimes even extended into hairs. The leaf shape is cylindrical or sometimes flattened.

Taxonomic tree

  • Domain: Eukarya

    • Kingdom: Plantae

      • Phylum: Magnoliophyta

        • Class: Magnoliopsida

          • Order: Caryophyllales

            • Family: Aizoaceae

              • Genus: Delosperma