MESEMBRYANTHEMACEAE  

Shrubs or undershrubs, procumbent to prostrate with greyish to yellow stems and distinct internodes. Leaves opposite, slightly connate at base, up to 50 mm long, almost terete to trigonous, mucronate; epidermis +/- flat, bladder cells rare, often flat, smooth, often with bluish, waxy coating. Flowers solitary or in rich dichasia, terminal or axillary, shortly pedicellate, ebracteate, up to 50 mm in diameter; opening at midday. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals free, yellow, golden, pink or reddish purple (often purplish outside and golden inside). Stamens often papillate towards base; staminodes present. Nectary: glands sometimes united into a crenulate ring. Ovary flat on top; placentas parietal; stigmas 8 -12, small, plumose. Fruit a 8 -12-locular capsule, of Drosanthemum type; parietal placentas often ending distally in prominent, sometimes bipartite knobs acting as closing bodies; base of locules divided by false septum which, together with splitting proper septa, forms pockets containing 1 or 2 seeds; these schizocarpous units are then dispersed. Seeds flat, rough with tubercles in rows. x = 9 (1 report). F loweringtime: Some species flowering in winter some in summer. D istinguishing characters: creeping to rarely upright perennials; leaves waxy; flowers yellow to red; capsule 8-12-locular, sometimes with bifid closing bodies.

Compact, +/- stemless, dwarf, succulent perennials, +/- sunken in the soil, of 1 or more +/- connate leaf pairs (bodies); roots fibrous. Leaves opposite, connate to form an obconic body with a truncate apex, old leaves turning into +/- hard sheaths enclosing new body, flat tops variously marked, sculptured or windowed; surface +/- smooth, but epidermal cells often bluntly elevated, rarely papillate, with remarkable, thick outer epidermal walls encrusted with cutinised blocks and thick crystal layers, crystals increasing basipetally in size. Flowers solitary, rarely 2 or 3, from centre of fissure between leaves of a pair, shortly pedicellate, ebracteate, 15 -40 mm in diameter; opening mid-afternoon, closing at sunset. Sepals 4 -7. Petals 1 -4-seriate, linear, white, yellow or orange. Stamens sometimes papillate towards base; staminodes 0. Nectary a crenulate ring. Ovary with parietal placentas; style short or 0; stigmas 4-7(9), filiform. Fruit a 4 -7(9)-locular capsule, of Delosperma type; small; valves with broad valve wings; expanding keel single, stout, central on valve, divided at apex; covering membranes reduced to a limb or 0; closing bodies 0. Seeds highly variable in size, shape, colour and texture. x = 9. F lowering autumn to early winter. D istinguishing characters: compact dwarf perennials, mostly underground with paired leaves fused to form +/- obconic bodies with flat or rounded, often windowed and ornamented tops; fruit 4-7(9)-locular; pedicels ebracteate.

Compact, +/- stemless, dwarf, succulent perennials with 1-4 leaf pairs per main branch. Leaves in a rosette, short, trigonous, lower part produced like a chin, keel and edges obvious but not sharp, pale pinkish brown or whitish in colour; surface with a minutely rough texture; epidermal cells somewhat elevated, stomata and subsidiary cells sunken, outer epidermal wall with a thick crystal layer. Flowers solitary or up to 3 in succession, terminal, +/- 50 mm in diameter; borne on short, winged stalks; open during day. Sepals 6 -8, +/- equal. Petals 3-seriate, slightly connate at base, golden yellow. Stamens with filaments papillate at base; staminodes present. Nectary a low crenulate ring. Ovary flattish on top; placentas parietal; stigmas 6-8, subulate, recurving. Fruit a 6 -8-locular capsule, of Titanopsis type, flat with raised sutures; valves widely spreading or recurved when expanded; expanding keels contiguous towards base, diverging towards apex with broad, membranous margins; covering membranes present; closing bodies 0. Seeds small, pear-shaped, light brown. x = 9. F lowering in winter. D istinguishing characters: compact, stemless perennials with keeled leaves, often appearing somewhat shrunken; flowers yellow; pedicels winged.

Compact to mat-forming dwarf perennials; rootstock thickened or not, bearing +/- horizontal branches with internodes mostly reduced and hidden or elongated up to 40 mm, with adventitious roots at nodes; +/- anisophyllous. Leaves opposite, with 2 (3, in cultivation up to 4) new leaf pairs per branch, per season; connate at base, triquetrous distally with acuminate tips, semiterete basally and broader than thick, dark green or glaucous; subepidermal enlarged tanniniferous cells (pellucid dots) concentrated along keel and margins. Flowers solitary, pedicellate; opening in sunlight or in afternoon ( C. carolinensis). Sepals 5 or 6. Petals in 2-4 series, white to deep magenta, with shades of pink. Stamens: filaments variable in colour and length; staminodes white to purple, forming a distinct cone in newly opened flowers, spreading and bending backwards in time. Nectary: glands forming a dark green crenate ring. Ovary with upper surface convex or centrally depressed; placentas parietal; stigmas (4)5-11, sometimes longer than filaments. Fruit a (4)5-11-locular capsule, reddish when young, dark brown later; pedicel persistent or breaking off, resulting in a tumble fruit; valves without wings but with enlarged rims; bases of expanding keels widely separated; covering membranes complete, rather firm, filled +/- with a whitish spongy tissue, with low rims at distal ends; closing device at distal rim of capsule reduced to a tiny bud or knob formed by placenta or by an outgrowth of expanding sheet over some protrusion from endocarp. Seeds +/- 1 mm long; micropylar end curved and elongated or short and straight. F lowering in summer. D istinguishing characters: perennials tufted with tuberous roots, often trailing and rooting at the nodes; flowers solitary.

Prostrate perennials, with long orange-coloured or yellow internodes with a spongy persistent primary cortex; adventitious roots many, arising from nodes of trailing branches. Leaves fusiform, characteristically broadest towards middle and tapering towards both ends; stomata not sunken. Flowers solitary on short side branches, bracteate; opening midday, closing in afternoon. Sepals (4)5(6). Petals in different shades of yellow or purple, rarely white. Stamens: inner filaments papillate at base, yellow, white or salmon-pink; staminodes 0. Nectary a weakly crenulate ring. Ovary: placentas parietal. Fruit a 10 -25-locular capsule, of Leipoldtia type but with small closing bodies. x = 9. F lowering in winter and spring. D istinguishing characters: perennials with trailing stems; leaves tapering towards both ends; fruit 10-25-locular, with angular valves, appearing squarish on top.