Scientific Name:
Delosperma
spp.
Pronunciation:
dell-oh-SPUR-muh
Common Name:
hardy ice plant
Family Name:
Aizoaceae
Plant Type:
Ground cover, Herbaceous perennial, Succulent or Cacti
Key ID Features:
Low ground cover; leaves succulent, most 1-4cm long x 0.3-1cm wide; flowers 2.5-7cm wide, daisy-like with many narrow perimeter flowers (reminiscent of ray florets in the Asteraceae), May-Jul.
Habit:
Horizontal
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
< 0.1m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Africa - southern
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Alpine, Ground cover, Perennial border, Rock garden
Additional Info:
Google. Species shown may include D. congestum 'Ice Nugget' (yellow flowers, shorter leaves), D. basuticum (spiny-textured leaves), D. cooperi (pink flowers, longer leaves), and D. echinatum . May look similar to Malephora crocea (Zone 9) and Lampranthus spectabilis (Zone 8).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite, Whorled, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Succulent
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Pubescent
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Lanceolate, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary, Head-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Orange, Yellow, Violet, Purple, Pink, Red
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
Numerous petal-like sepals
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Tan
Organ Modifications:
Succulent leaves
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
