Ice Plant

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

  • Ice Plant
  • Ice Plant
  • Ice Plant
  • Ice Plant
  • Flower name
    Ice Plant
  • Scientific name
    Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
  • AliasCommon Ice Plant, Ice Plant, あいすぷらんと
  • Place of originSouth Africa
  • Place of floweringField, Seashore
  • Flowering seasonJuly, August

What is Ice Plant

Ice Plant (scientific name: Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) is a creeping annual or biennial salt- and drought-tolerant succulent plant of the genus Mesembryanthemum of the Hamamelidaceae family, native to South Africa. It is a rare vegetable that is grown in coastal areas because of its salinity requirements. The stems are 30-60 cm long and 50 cm wide. The leaves are yellow-green, 15 m long and 7.5 cm wide, ovate or spatulate with wavy margins, and alternate leaflets. The leaves are soft and thick-walled, with salt sac cells on the underside. It produces multifloral white flowers in July and August, similar to the Matsuba chrysanthemum (scientific name: Lampranthus spectabilis).

Uses
The soft leaves are used as a vegetable. It is eaten raw as a garnish for sashimi, in salads, as a "ohitashi" or tempura. It does not have a particularly strong flavor, but has a piquant and lightly salty taste.

Common name: Ice Plant, scientific name: Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, genus Mesembryanthemum of the family Aizoaceae of the Phytogeophyta, order Euphorbiaceae Crystallinum species, Origin: South Africa, Life Form: succulent, vegetable, Leaf Color: yellowish green, Leaf Texture: soft and fleshy with salt sac cells on underside, Stem Length: 30-60 cm, Plant Width: 50 cm, Leaf Shape: ovate or spatulate, Leaf Length: 15 m, Leaf Width: 7.5 cm, Leaf Edge: wavy, Phyllotaxy: alternate, Flowering Period: July-August, Flower color: white, Flower shape: Matsubagiku-like, Cooking: raw as a garnish for sashimi, salad, boiled vegetables, tempura, Taste: not particularly strong but has a petite and lightly salty taste Special note: salt is necessary for cultivation.


  • Order
    Caryophyllales
  • Family
    Aizoaceae
  • Genus
    Mesembryanthemum
  • Species
    M. crystallinum
  • Type of flower
    Radial symmetrical flower
  • Array of flower
    Monopetal inflorescence
  • Petal shape
    Lip shaped
  • Leaf type
    Spatula-shaped
  • Edge of the leaf
    Wavy
  • Life typecreeping annual or biennial salt- and drought-tolerant succulent plant
  • Flower colorsWhite
  • Colors of the leavesGreen
  • Fruit color
  • Height30.0 ~ 60.0 cm
  • Diameter of flower2.5 ~ 2.5 cm

Random flowers