Carpobrotus
Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 78: 433. 1925.
| Taxon | Illustrator ⠉ | |
|---|---|---|
 | Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Carpobrotus edulis Conicosia pugioniformis | Barbara Alongi Barbara Alongi Barbara Alongi |
Subshrubs, succulent, glabrous. Roots fibrous. Stems trailing, mat-forming, 5–30 dm; rooting at nodes; inflorescence branches ascending. Leaves cauline, opposite, slightly connate basally, sessile, those of each pair equal; stipules absent; blade straight or curved, rounded-triangular to sharply 3-angled in cross-section, thick, fleshy, margins entire or dentate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, flowers solitary; bracts absent or 2, leaflike; pedicel [absent or 1–] 10–60 [–100] mm, erect. Flowers showy, tubular, 3–10 [–15] cm diam.; calyx lobes 4–5, unequal, 2 larger ± opposite, sometimes leaflike, 2–3 inner, smaller, with expanded membranous margins; petals (including petaloid staminodia) to 250, distinct, magenta, pink, yellow, cream, or white; nectary absent; stamens to 600, erect; pistil 8–12 [–25] -carpellate; ovary inferior, 8–12 [–25] -loculed; placentation parietal; style absent; stigmas 8–12 [–25], radiate, linear, plumose. Fruits berries, fleshy, edible, indehiscent; valves absent. Seeds to 1000, brown, obovoid, compressed, shiny, slightly tuberculate; arils absent.
Distribution
Introduced; s Africa, also in Mexico, South America, Europe, Australia
Discussion
Species 13 (2 in the flora).
Species of Carpobrotus naturalize vegetatively and from seed.
Selected References
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Flowers 3-5 cm diam.; petals rose-magenta; leaves 4-7 cm, rounded-triangular in cross section, outer angle smooth | Carpobrotus chilensis |
| 1 | Flowers 8-10 cm diam.; petals yellow, aging pink; leaves 6-10 cm, sharply triangular in cross section, outer angle serrate near tip | Carpobrotus edulis |
"thick" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.