Mesembryanthemum crystallinum | |
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M. crystallinum flowering in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Aizoaceae |
Genus: | Mesembryanthemum |
Species: | M. crystallinum
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Binomial name | |
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum | |
Synonyms | |
Cryophytum crystallinum (L.) N.E.Br. |
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (the common, 'crystalline' or 'crystallinum' iceplant, or simply 'iceplant') is a species of annual/perennial, succulent flowering plant in the "mesemb" genus of the Aizoaceae family.
A true Mediterranean-climate grower, this prostrate groundcover is native to coastal North Africa and Sinai, the Levant and maritime Southern Europe, and several Mediterranean and North Atlantic islands, as well. The plant is covered with large, glistening bladder cells, or water vesicles, hence its many common names such as crystallinum iceplant, crystalline iceplant or iceplant.[1]