Delosperma

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Aizoaceae
Subfamilia: Ruschioideae
Tribus: Ruschieae
Genus: Delosperma
Species: D. abbottii – D. aberdeenense – D. abyssinicum – D. acocksii – D. acuminatum – D. adamantinum – D. adelaidense – D. aereum – D. affine – D. aliwalense – D. alticola – D. annulare – D. ashtonii – D. asperulum – D. basuticum – D. bosseranum – D. brevipetalum – D. brevisepalum – D. brunnthaleri – D. burtoniae – D. caespitosum – D. calitzdorpense – D. calycinum – D. carolinense – D. carterae – D. clavipes – D. cloeteae – D. concavum – D. congestum – D. cooperi – D. crassuloides – D. crassum – D. cronemeyerianum – D. davyi – D. deilanthoides – D. deleeuwiae – D. denticulatum – D. dolomitica – D. dunense – D. dyeri – D. echinatum – D. erectum – D. esterhuyseniae – D. ficksbergense – D. floribundum – D. framesii – D. fredericii – D. frutescens – D. galpinii – D. gautengense – D. gerstneri – D. giffenii – D. gracile – D. gramineum – D. grantiae – D. gratiae – D. guthriei – D. harazianum – D. herbeum – D. hirtum – D. hollandii – D. holzbecherorum – D. imbricatum – D. inaequale – D. incomptum – D. inconspicuum – D. intonsum – D. invalidum – D. jansei – D. karroicum – D. katbergense – D. klinghardtianum – D. knox-daviesii – D. kofleri – D. lavisiae – D. laxipetalum – D. lebomboense – D. leendertziae – D. leightoniae – D. liebenbergii – D. lineare – D. litorale – D. lootsbergense – D. luckhoffii – D. luteum – D. lydenburgense – D. macellum – D. macrostigma – D. mahonii – D. mariae – D. maxwellii – D. monanthemum – D. muirii – D. multiflorum – D. nakurense – D. napiforme – D. neethlingiae – D. nelii – D. nubigenum – D. obtusum – D. oehleri – D. ornatulum – D. pachyrhizum – D. pageanum – D. pallidum – D. parentum – D. parviflorum – D. patersoniae – D. peersii – D. peglerae – D. pilosulum – D. platysepalum – D. pondoense – D. pontii – D. pottsii – D. prasinum – D. pubipetalum – D. purpureum – D. repens – D. reynoldsii – D. rileyi – D. robustum – D. rogersii – D. roseopurpureum – D. saturatum – D. sawdahense – D. saxicolor – D. scabripes – D. schimperi – D. smytheae – D. stenandrum – D. steytlerae – D. subclavatum – D. subincanum – D. subpetiolatum – D. sulcatum – D. sutherlandii – D. suttoniae – D. testaceum – D. tradescantioides – D. truteri – D. uitenhagense – D. uncinatum – D. uniflorum – D. vandermerwei – D. velutinum – D. verecundum – D. vernicolor – D. versicolor – D. vinaceum – D. virens – D. vogtsii – D. waterbergense – D. wethamae – D. wilmaniae – D. wiunii – D. zeederbergii – D. zoeae – D. zoutpansbergense
Name

Delosperma N.E.Br., Gard. Chron. ser. 3. 78: 412. (1925)

Type species: Delosperma echinatum Schwantes

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Corpuscularia Schwantes
Daggodora S.A.Hammer
Ectotropis N.E.Br.
Komsbergella Niederle
Sanianthos Niederle
Schonlandia L.Bolus

Note: Hassler (2021) do not accept this synonymy cf. Govaerts et al. (2021) & Liede-Schumann & Newton (2018)
References

Brown, N.E. 1925. Gardeners' Chronicle, ser. 3, 78: 412.

Additional references

Klak, C., Hancek, P., Curtis-Scott, O., Le Roux, A. & Bruyns, P.V. 2020. New taxa in Drosanthemum and a new genus in Drosanthemeae (Ruschioideae, Aizoaceae). Phytotaxa 459(2): 139-154. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.459.2.5 Open access Reference page.
Liede-Schumann, S. & Newton, L.E. 2018. Notes on the Delosperma-clade (Aizoaceae). Haseltonia 2018(25): 100-114. DOI: /10.2985/026.025.0109 Paywall ResearchGate Reference page.

Links

Hassler, M. 2018. Delosperma. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Jul. 05. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Delosperma. Published online. Accessed: Jul. 05 2018.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. Delosperma in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Jul. 05. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2018. Delosperma. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 05 Jul. 2018.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2019. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Delosperma. .

Delosperma ('delos'=evident, 'sperma'=seed) is a genus of around 170 species of succulent plants, formerly included in Mesembryanthemum in the family Aizoaceae. It was defined by English botanist N. E. Brown in 1925.[1] The genus is common in southern and eastern Africa. Delosperma species, as do most Aizoaceae, have hygrochastic capsules, opening and closing as they wet and dry.[2]
The leaves of Delosperma jansei (tradescantioides?)

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.[3]

When the valves of their seed capsules open, the seeds of Delosperma are exposed, and not covered by any membrane or covering.

Delosperma floribundum leaves showing bladder cells typical of this genus

The bladder cells of Delosperma sutherlandii are elongated into fine hairs

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 lydenburgense leaves are grooved

Delosperma acuminatum[4]
Delosperma alpina
Delosperma basuticum
Delosperma bosseranum, iceplant[5]
Delosperma cooperi[4]
Delosperma congestum
Delosperma dyeri [1]
Delosperma echinatum
Delosperma ecklonis[4]
Delosperma esterhuyseniae[4]
Delosperma floribunda
Delosperma hallii[4]
Delosperma harazianum[4]
Delosperma hirtum[4]
Delosperma hallii aff. litorale St. Fancis Bay[4]
Delosperma lavisiae – AGM
Delosperma lehmannii[6]
Delosperma lineare L.Bolus — South Africa (Free State, KwaZulu-Natal), Lesotho
Delosperma lydenburgense[4]
Delosperma nakurense[7]
Delosperma nubigenum[4]
Delosperma pageanum[4]
Delosperma pergamentaceum[4]
Delosperma sphalmanthoides
Delosperma sutherlandii
Delosperma tradescantiodes[4]

References

Taylor, Nigel; Eggli, Urs (1986). "The Lectotype of Delosperma N. E. Brown (Aizoaceae)". Taxon. 35 (4): 709–711. doi:10.2307/1221621. JSTOR 1221621.
Harrington MJ, Razghandi K, Ditsch F, Guiducci L, Rueggeberg M, Dunlop JW, Fratzl P, Neinhuis C, Burgert I (2011). "Origami-like unfolding of hydro-actuated ice plant seed capsules". Nat. Commun. 2: 337. Bibcode:2011NatCo...2..337H. doi:10.1038/ncomms1336. PMID 21654637.
Delosperma - SANBI
Trout's Notes on Delosperma
"Delosperma bosseranum - Entheopedia.Org: The Encyclopedia of Entheogenic Plants". entheopedia.org.
"The Succulent Garden :: Online nursery specialising in Succulent Plants". www.thesucculentgarden.com.au.
Bussmann, R. W., et al. (2006). Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2 22.