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Useful Temperate Plants

Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum

L.

Aizoaceae

+ Synonyms

Cryophytum cleistum L.Bolus

Cryophytum gibbosum N.E.Br.

Cryophytum nodiflorum (L.) L.Bolus

Cryophytum rogersii L.Bolus

Gasoul nodiflorum (L.) Rothm.

Mesembryanthemum caducum Aiton

Mesembryanthemum copticum L.

Mesembryanthemum inornatum L.Bolus

Mesembryanthemum paucandrum L.Bolus

Psilocaulon caducum (Aiton) N.E.Br.

Stigmatocarpum caducum (Aiton) L.Bolus

Common Name: Slender-leaved Iceplant

No Image.

General Information

Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum is a prostrate to ascending, succulent annual plant, branched from the base, growing 15 - 20cm tall. Often growing in a group, it can form a mat of vegetation[
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].
The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens and is reported to be harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum has escaped from cultivation in various areas (including southwestern N. America, Australia and the Mediterranean), and become established in suitable habitats in the wild. 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[
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Range

Southern Africa - S. Africa.

Habitat

Coastal bluffs, margins of saline wetlands; at elevations up to 100 metres[
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Edibility Rating *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitAnnual
Height0.15 m
PollinatorsInsects
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details


Requires a sunny position. Easily grown in an ordinary well-drained garden soil[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
52
Title
Salads all the Year Round.
Publication
 
Author
Larkcom. J.
Publisher
Hamlyn
Year
1980
ISBN
 
Description
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
]. Succeeds in any well-drained low-fertility soil.
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.

Edible Uses

The whole plant is consumed as a cereal[
1276
Title
Antiviral activity of some Tunisian medicinal plants against Herpes simplex virus type 1
Publication
Natural Product Research, 22:1, 53 - 65, 2008
Author
Sassi, A. Ben, Harzallah-Skhiri, F., Bourgougnon, N. and Aou
Website
http:// http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786410701589790
Publisher
 
Year
2008
ISBN
 
Description
 
]. A rather strange report - the plant is very succulent. Perhaps it is referring more to either the fruit or the small seed[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

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[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].

Other Uses

None known

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[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-12-05. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Mesembryanthemum+nodiflorum>

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