Delosperma

Delosperma
Delosperma cooperi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Subfamily: Ruschioideae
Tribe: Ruschieae
Genus: Delosperma
N.E.Br.
   range of the genus

Delosperma ('delos'=evident, 'sperma'=seed) is a genus of around 170 species of succulent plants, formerly included in Mesembryanthemum in the family Aizoaceae. It was defined by English botanist N. E. Brown in 1925.[1] The genus is common in southern and eastern Africa, with a few species in Madagascar, Reunion island, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.[2][3] Delosperma species, as do most Aizoaceae, have hygrochastic capsules, opening and closing as they wet and dry.[4]

The leaves of Delosperma jansei (tradescantioides?)
  1. ^ Taylor, Nigel; Eggli, Urs (1986). "The Lectotype of Delosperma N. E. Brown (Aizoaceae)". Taxon. 35 (4): 709–711. doi:10.2307/1221621. JSTOR 1221621.
  2. ^ Smith, G.F. (1998). Mesembs of the world. Briza Publications. p. 292.
  3. ^ Hartmann, Heidrun E. K. (2017). Aizoaceae - Second Edition. Springer. p. 395.
  4. ^ Harrington MJ, Razghandi K, Ditsch F, Guiducci L, Rueggeberg M, Dunlop JW, Fratzl P, Neinhuis C, Burgert I (2011). "Origami-like unfolding of hydro-actuated ice plant seed capsules". Nat. Commun. 2: 337. Bibcode:2011NatCo...2..337H. doi:10.1038/ncomms1336. PMID 21654637.