Iceplants

Canary Islands Iceplant Slender-leaved Iceplant Common Iceplant Shoreline Purslane



Iceplant Family - Aizoaceae

Canary Islands Iceplant      Aizoon canariense

Native in the Canary Islands and widespread throughout the drier parts of Africa, eastward to Pakistan. Very common and widespread in dry places in Fuerteventura.

Canary Islands Iceplant Canary Islands Iceplant Canary Islands Iceplant Canary Islands Iceplant
Habit
Habit
Habit
Flower
Canary Islands Iceplant Canary Islands Iceplant Canary Islands Iceplant Canary Islands Iceplant
Flower
Seeding plant
Seed capsules
Old seed capsules


Common Iceplant      Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Native in the Canary Islands and eastward through the Mediterranean basin to the Arabian Peninsula; also in South Africa. Abundant in Fuerteventura in dry, stony habitats, often carpeting the ground with Slender-leaved Iceplant.

Common Iceplant Common Iceplant Common Iceplant Common Iceplant
Habit
Habit
Flower
Flower
Common Iceplant Common Iceplant Common Iceplant Common Iceplant
Leaves
Leaves
Leaf detail
Old seed capsules


Slender-leaved Iceplant      Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum

Native in the Canary Islands and eastward through the Mediterranean basin to the Middle East. Abundant in Fuerteventura in dry, stony habitats, often carpeting the ground with red as the leaves colour up in the sun.

Slender-leaved Iceplant Slender-leaved Iceplant Slender-leaved Iceplant Slender-leaved Iceplant
Habit
Habit
Flower
Flower
Slender-leaved Iceplant Slender-leaved Iceplant Slender-leaved Iceplant
Leaves
Leaves
Leaves


Heart-leaved Iceplant      Mesembryanthemum cordifolium

Introduced to Europe and the Canary Islands from South Africa as a garden plant.

Heart-leaved Iceplant Heart-leaved Iceplant Heart-leaved Iceplant Heart-leaved Iceplant
Habit
Habit
Flowers
Flower
Heart-leaved Iceplant Heart-leaved Iceplant Heart-leaved Iceplant Heart-leaved Iceplant
Flower
Flower
Leaves
Leaf


Coppery Dewplant      Malephora crocea

Introduced from South Africa as a garden ornamental.

Coppery Dewplant Coppery Dewplant Coppery Dewplant Coppery Dewplant
Habit
Habit
Flower
Flower
Coppery Dewplant Coppery Dewplant Coppery Dewplant
Leaves
Leaves and flower bud
Seed capsule


Purple Dewplant      Disphyma crassifolium

Introduced from South Africa as a garden ornamental.

Purple Dewplant Purple Dewplant Purple Dewplant Purple Dewplant
Habit
Habit
Flower
Flower
Purple Dewplant Purple Dewplant Purple Dewplant Purple Dewplant
Flower
Leaves
Leaves
Seed capsules


Hispid Dewplant      Drosanthemum hispidum

Introduced from South Africa as a garden ornamental.

Hispid Dewplant Hispid Dewplant Hispid Dewplant Hispid Dewplant
Habit
Habit
Flower
Flower
Hispid Dewplant Hispid Dewplant
Leaves
Leaf detail


     Aizoanthemopsis hispanica

Native in the Canary Islands and across the southern Mediterranean basin to the Middle East. Widespread but thinly scattered in Fuerteventura.

Aizoanthemopsis hispanica Aizoanthemopsis hispanica Aizoanthemopsis hispanica Aizoanthemopsis hispanica
Habit
Habit
Habit
Flower
Aizoanthemopsis hispanica Aizoanthemopsis hispanica Aizoanthemopsis hispanica Aizoanthemopsis hispanica
Flower
Flower
Leaf
Seed capsule


Shoreline Purslane      Sesuvium portulacastrum

Found throughout the world's tropical and subtropical zones and possibly native in the Canary Islands, but most likely to be found as a garden escape or in amenity areas.

Shoreline Purslane Shoreline Purslane Shoreline Purslane Shoreline Purslane
Habit
Flower
Flower
Flower
Shoreline Purslane Shoreline Purslane Shoreline Purslane Shoreline Purslane
Flower underside
Flower bud
Leaves
Leaf


     Tetragonia echinata

Native to South Africa but recorded as an introduction on Gran Canaria. Found on Fuerteventura in 2022 and probably the first record for the island.

Tetragonia echinata Tetragonia echinata Tetragonia echinata
Habit
Leaves
Leaf
Tetragonia echinata Tetragonia echinata Tetragonia echinata Tetragonia echinata
Seed capsules
Seed capsule
Seed capsule
Granular surface


Purslane Family - Portulacaceae

Common Purslane agg.      Portulaca oleracea agg.

Native from Macaronesia eastward through much of Africa, the Mediterranean Region and the Middle East. A weed of pavements and urban areas. This is an aggregate of species that can be very difficult to tell apart and often impossible without a hand lens or microscope to study the surface texture of the seeds.

Common Purslane Common Purslane Common Purslane
Habit
Flower
Flower
Common Purslane Common Purslane
Leaves
Leaf