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MaltaWildPlants.com by Stephen Mifsud |
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Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (Crystal Ice Plant) |
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (AIZOOACEAE.) Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000. |
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Nomenclature and Basic Information |
Species name : |
Mesembryanthemum crystallinumL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 480 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Aizooaceae
Rudolphi (The Fig-Marigold Family) 16 species from the Aizooaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Crystal Ice Plant, Silvery-leaved Mesembryanthemum |
Maltese name(s) : |
Kristallina tar-ramel, Kristallina kbira |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: THEROPHYTE ( annual plants, herbaceous )
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (25/Sep/2021) |
Red List (1989) : |
Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.) |
Flowering Time : |
May – July |
Colour of Flowers: |
White or Yellow |
Name Derivation : |
Mesembryanthemum: Conjugation of two Greek words Mesembria - meaning midday or noon and -anthemon meaniny flower; in allusion to the fact that plants bloom at noon. In the past, many succulent plants have been classified in this genus for this artificail habit, however, many Mesembryanthemum species have been later placed to more appropriate genera sharing common morphological or/and genetic traits. (Greek origin )
crystallinum: Crystal-like. (Latin origin )
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Remarks : |
A beautiful, succulent plant with large flattened leaves covered in blister-like water cells which flowers abundantaly in late Spring to early Summer. It is becoming more rare due to human disturbances and habitat loss. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution |
Habitat in Europe: |
Coastal sands and salt-marshes, sometimes in coastal wasteground. |
Preferred habitat in Malta: |
Fertile soil close to the coast, usually as a ruderal or margins of paths and fields. |
Botanical Description: |
Procumbent-erect, 10-30cm, annual. Whole plant densely crystalline-papillose; leaves spathulate to broadly ovate, flat; Flowers terminal and axillary, solitary, subsessile. Petals and stamens numerous. Petals longer than the sepals, white, linear. Stigmas 5. Ovary inferior; capsule with 5 valves, winged on the angles |
Chromosome number: |
2n=18 |
Distributional range: |
Mediterranean region |
Distributional map in Europe and the Mediterranean region (2018): |
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Occurrences in Europe. (from Flora Europaea pre year 1993): |
the Balaeric Islands, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (excl. Sicily and Sardignia), ex-Jugoslavia, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Introduced in  the Azores, Portugal |
Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region. (from Euro+Med Checklist, 2019)
Country codes
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AE(G) Ag Bl Ca dCa(C F G H L P T) Co Cr Ct dCy Eg Ga(F) Gr Hs dHs(G) Ir It Li Ma Md Sa Si(M S) Sn Tn [nAE(G) Az nAz(G M T) aBe(B L) Bl(I M N) cBy nCo aDa nEg cEs nGa(F) aGe Hs(S) cLa cLt nLu Md(D M P) cMo cRf(C E K N NW S) Sg aSu cUk(K U)] |
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