Delosperma
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''Delosperma'' ('delos'=evident, 'sperma'=seed) is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of around 170
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
s, formerly included in ''
Mesembryanthemum ''Mesembryanthemum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Aizoaceae; like many members of this family, it is characterized by long-lasting flower heads. Flowers of ''Mesembryanthemum'' protect their gametes from night-time dews or frosts ...
'' in the family Aizoaceae. It was defined by English botanist
N. E. Brown Nicholas Edward Brown (11 July 1849 in Redhill, Surrey – 25 November 1934 in Kew Gardens, London) was an English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents. He was also an authority on several families of plants, including Asclepiadacea ...
in 1925. The genus is common in southern and eastern
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, with a few species in
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
,
Reunion island Reunion may refer to: * Class reunion * Family reunion Reunion, Réunion, Re-union, Reunions or The Reunion may also refer to: Places * Réunion, a French overseas department and island in the Indian Ocean * Reunion, Commerce City, Colorado, US ...
, Yemen and
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. ''Delosperma'' species, as do most
Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is d ...
, have hygrochastic capsules, opening and closing as they wet and dry.


Distinguishing characters

Plants of the genus ''Delosperma'' 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. File:Delosperma bosseranum seeds.jpg, When the valves of their seed capsules open, the seeds of ''Delosperma'' are exposed, and not covered by any membrane or covering. File:Delosperma floribundum Starburst 4zz.jpg, '' Delosperma floribundum'' leaves showing bladder cells typical of this genus File:Delosperma sutherlandii 2017-05-31 2119.jpg, The bladder cells of '' Delosperma sutherlandii'' are elongated into fine hairs File:Delosperma pruinosum 3c.JPG, The bladder cells of '' Delosperma pruinosum'' are extended into thicker hairs. ''Delosperma'' species are long-lived, and flower mostly in the summer. Their flowers vary greatly in colour.


Species

Species include: *'' Delosperma acuminatum''Trout's Notes on Delosperma
/ref> *'' Delosperma alpina'' *'' Delosperma basuticum'' *'' Delosperma bosseranum'', iceplant *'' Delosperma cooperi'' *'' Delosperma congestum'' *'' Delosperma dyeri'

*''
Delosperma echinatum ''Delosperma echinatum'' is a succulent plant, native to South Africa. It is also known as the pickle plant. The new genus ''Delosperma'' was erected by English botanist N. E. Brown in 1925, with this species later acknowledged as the type speci ...
'' *'' Delosperma ecklonis'' *'' Delosperma esterhuyseniae'' *'' Delosperma floribunda'' *'' Delosperma hallii'' *'' Delosperma harazianum'' *'' Delosperma hirtum'' *''Delosperma hallii aff. litorale'' St. Fancis Bay *'' Delosperma lavisiae'' – AGM *'' Delosperma lehmannii'' *'' Delosperma lineare''
L.Bolus Harriet Margaret Louisa Bolus ''née'' Kensit (31 July 1877, Burgersdorp – 5 April 1970, Cape Town) was a South African botanist and taxonomist, and the longtime curator of the Bolus Herbarium, from 1903. Bolus also has the legacy of authorin ...
— South Africa (Free State, KwaZulu-Natal), Lesotho *'' Delosperma lydenburgense'' *'' Delosperma nakurense'' Bussmann, R. W., et al. (2006)
Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya.
''J Ethnobiol Ethnomed'' 2 22.
*'' Delosperma napiforme'' *'' Delosperma nubigenum'' *'' Delosperma pageanum'' *'' Delosperma pergamentaceum'' *'' Delosperma sphalmanthoides'' *'' Delosperma sutherlandii'' *'' Delosperma tradescantiodes''


References


External links

*
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile: North American SpeciesFlora of North America
*https://worldofsucculents.com/genera/delosperma/
hydropower seed capsule origami
{{Taxonbar, from=Q134423 Aizoaceae genera Taxa named by N. E. Brown Succulent plants