Delosperma

Delosperma
Delosperma cooperi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Subfamily: Ruschioideae
Tribe: Ruschieae
Genus: Delosperma
N.E.Br.
Diversity
c. 170 species
   range of the genus
Synonyms
  • Corpuscularia Schwantes
  • Daggodora S.A.Hammer
  • Ectotropis N.E.Br.
  • Komsbergella Niederle
  • Sanianthos Niederle
  • Schonlandia L.Bolus

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. The genus is common in southern and eastern Africa, with a few species in Madagascar, Reunion island, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Delosperma species, as do most Aizoaceae, have hygrochastic capsules, opening and closing as they wet and dry.