Malephora crocea (Jacq.) Schwantes   =Mesembryanthemum crocea   not Drosanthemum speciosum   Aizoaceae (Carpetweed Family)   South Africa Croceum Ice Plant   Ice Plant

                                                June Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Decumbent or prostrate shrub with pale, corky branches, occasionally rooting at the nodes, forming dense mats to 3 dm. high, with stout, gnarled, woody stems in maturity; lvs. crowded on short shoots, opposite, connate at base, erect, 2.5-6 cm. long, 5-8 mm. wide, bluntly trigonous, succulent, smooth, pale bluish-green and glaucous, occasionally reddish; fls. solitary, terminal or axillary, ebracteate, on pedicels 1-6 cm. long; calyx 0.8-1.5 cm. wide, the lobes 4-6, unequal, at least 2 short, acuminate, with hyaline margins; petals and staminodia usually orange adaxially and purple abaxially; stamens numerous; stigmas 8-9 (-10), plumose; ovaries obcuneiform; placentation parietal; capsule 8-9 (-10) locular, with cell lids, valve wings, adaxial seed pockets with bifid placental tubercles; seeds numerous, lenticular, 1 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide, with tubercles arranged in rows.    

Habitat:  Naturalized in western North America, mostly along the coast from northern Santa Barbara Co. to Baja California Norte, Mexico. (Ferren, Wayne R.  "Malephora Crocea (Aizoaceae) Naturalized in California". Madrono, Vol. 28, No. 2, April 1981 p. 80-88).  Blooms most of the year.  (my comments).

Name:  Greek, maleo, charm, delight or enchantment. Greek, phora, bearing.  Malephora, bearing charm or delight or enchantment.  (John Johnson).  Greek, croceus, saffron-colored, yellow.  (Bailey 13).   Greek, bearing arm-holes, from seed pockets of the fruit.  (Hickman 129).

General:  Occasional in the study area.  Photographs from Back Bay Dr., several locations and North Star Flats (my comments).   Malephora crocea, native to Cape Province, South Africa, has been naturalized in southern California at least since 1946, but is not mentioned in California floras.  Munz, 1959, 1968, 1974 and Smith 1976 omit it.  Most specimens in California herbaria have been misidentified particularly as Disphyma crassifolium and Drosanthemum speciosum.  Apparently it was from such misidentified specimens that Munz (1959, 1974) reported these two species in southern California.  Although D. speciosum is cultivated in California, we have seen no evidence that it is naturalized.  (Ferren, Wayne R.  "Malephora Crocea (Aizoaceae) Naturalized in California". Madrono. Vol. 28, No. 2, April 1981 p. 80-88).      D. speciosum = Mesembryanthemum speciosum is not naturalized.  (Hickman, Ed. 1324).      The species is more or less invasive.  (Hickman, Ed. 129).

Text Ref:  See references above; Roberts 6.

Photo Ref:  July 1 83 # 9; Jan 1 84 # 5; May-June 86 # 17,18.

Identity: by F. Roberts.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 121.

No plant specimen.

Last edit 10/18/02.

                                                June Photo