Succulent Home

MESEMERYANTHEMUM (Fig-marigold)

A tremendous group of perennial and annual plants. Many of the annual species are cultivated in gardens where they are called ice-plants due to their glittering leaves. They are covered with large, daisy-like flowers in reds, yellows, and white. This list, however, is not concerned with the ice-plants, but with the perennial sub-genera from the deserts of South Africa-Karroo and Namaqualand. Plants whose unusual and imitative forms have caused them to be known as rock face, flowering stones, living stones, window plants, etc. There is a multitude of them---cach with its own peculiarities, yet only a few are in cultivation. Those listed are available in the United States as growing plants. Seeds of additional species are listed in European and South African catalogues. Potting Mixture 6.

Argeta petrensis		Small, gray-green, pebble-shaped clusters of leaves. Rayed flowers of pink.
Argyroderma octophyllum (usually catalogued as A. testiculare)		Two rounded, infiated leaves separated by a V-shaped fissure. They resemble silvery white pebbles. White, daisy-like flowers.
Gibbaeum album		An interesting mimicry plant with almost white leaves.
Gibbacum perviride		Gray-grcen leaves and red flowers.
Glottiphyllum ncili		Curious tongue-shaped leaves and yellow flowers.
Limops comptoni eberlanzi fergusoni fulleri karasmontanum leslei marthae pseudotruncatella rugosa ruschiorum mr-ricolor		This genera contains plants consisting of two rounded leavesjoined so that only a crack indicates the fusion. They areburied almost to the top in theground. Tops of the leaves are colored and marked to imitatethe type of rock or gravel theyare growing near, and semi-trans parent areas are found also onthe top surface of the leaves.Available species are similar in general appearance except for color and markings. In season, daisy-like flowers of white or yellow grow from the crack be twcen the leaves.
Pleiospilos bolusi canus dekenahi magnipunctala optatus roodiae		Clusters of rough, seamed leaves whose similarity in appearance to slivers and pieces of rock is remarkable. Some species imitate granite, others limestone, while still others (P. roodiae, for to instance) are easily mistaken for pebbles of chert. All produce 3-inch, daisy-like flowers of yellow.