Common Name: Ice Plant

General Information

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum is a prostrate, annual to perennial plant, though it most commonly completes its life-cycle within a few months. It has succulent leaves and stems, growing about 10cm tall with stems 50cm or more long trailing along the ground[].
The plant is sometimes harvested for local use as a food, medicine and source of soap. It can be used in soil-desalinization projects and is a very ornamental plant that is often grown in the flower garden and is sometimes also cultivated for its edible leaves[, ].
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum has spread from its original native habitats near the coasts of western Asia, northern and southern Afrca, both through cultivation as an ornamental, and as a weed (with seed being carried in ships' ballasts). It has become established in several other regions of the world, including California, southern Europe and Australia. It is able to out-compete native species by its habit of concentrating salt in its leaves and then secreting this onto the ground, making surface conditions too saline for native plants to germinate[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Africa - Azores, St. Helena, Morocco to Libya, Angola, Namibia, S. Africa; W. Asia - Israel, Egypt (Sinai)

Habitat

Maritime sands and salt marshes[]. Coastal bluffs, cliffs, ballast dumps, disturbed ground; at elevations up to 100 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.10 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum is not very hardy in the temperate zone and will be killed even by a light frost[]. It is, therefore, usually grown as a half-hardy annual, being sown in a greenhouse in the spring and used for summer bedding[].
Easily grown in an ordinary well-drained garden soil[, ]. Succeeds in any well-drained low-fertility soil, including saline soils, so long as it is in a sunny position[, ].
A very ornamental plant, it is occasionally also cultivated for its edible leaves[, , ].
This species uses the 'Crassulacean Acid Metabolism' (CAM) pathway to photosynthesis, a mechanism which aids in conserving moisture. The plant keeps its stomata closed during the day, opening them during the night when it takes in carbon dioxide and stores it in compounds such as malic acid. It then utilizes this carbon dioxide when photosynthesizing during the day. This type of mechanism is used by a range of mainly succulent plants, including cacti and Euphorbia species.
In climates with mild winters, the plant can flower all year round[].
Plants have few problems with pests or diseases though the young plants are prone to root rot and damping off unless given plenty of ventilation and dry growing conditions[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and stems - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. They can be used as a spinach substitute[]. The leaves have an acid flavour, they are thick and very succulent with a slightly salty tang[]. They can also be pickled like cucumbers or used as a garnish[].
The whole plant is consumed as a cereal[]. A rather strange report - the plant is very succulent. Perhaps it is referring more to either the fruit or the small seed[].

Fruit[, ]. No more details are given.

Seed - a famine food used when all else fails[].

Medicinal

The plant is demulcent and diuretic[]. It is used in the treatment of inflammations of the pulmonary and genito-urinary mucous membranes[]. Gauchos in Argentina used it to treat venereal disease[].

The leaves are used in the treatment of ascites, dysentery and diseases of the liver and kidney[]. The leaves were formerly used as a treatment for scurvy for sailors on long voyages[].

The fresh juice has been used to treat water retention and to painful urination and to soothe lung inflammation[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant was formerly suggested as a possible soil stabilizer, but has been found to be ineffective[].
Due to its ability to accumulate salt, this species has been used for the desalination of soil and it has been suggested that it could be used in bioremediation projects[].

Other Uses

The crushed foliage is used as a soap substitute[].

The sap of the plant, and an extract of the plant are used as ingredients in commercial cosmetic products as humectants and skin conditioners[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse, only just covering the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Seedlings are prone to damp off so should not be over watered and should be kept in a very sunny well-ventilated position[].