Delosperma brunnthaleri Photo by: Amante Darmanin
Tromso Botanical garden, Norway. 10/07/2017
Origin and Habitat: Distr Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, Republic of South Africa.
Synonyms:
Common Names include:
ENGLISH: Hardy Ice Plant
GERMAN (Deutsch): Mittagsblumen
Description: Delosperma brunnthaleri is a small, multibranched, erect shrub 30-40 cm tall, with leaves with conspicuous long papillae looking like hairs, tuberous roots, and small pink flowers 15-20 mm across with a pale eye.
Derivation of specific name: This species has been named brunnthaleri in honour of Josef Brunnthaler (1871?1914), Austrian botanist and conservator of the Botanical Museum of the Vienna University.
Stems. Young branches somewhat compressed, green, later grey, internodes 12-30 mm long. Axillary twigs numerous.
Leaves: Held on the short lateral twigs, nearly triangular in cross-section, spreading widely, slightly recurved, flat above and rounded basally at the back, keeled above, acute, mucronate, 25-35 mm long, 4-5 mm wide in the middle, 4 mm thick, soft, smooth, green or glaucescens, not dotted, bladder cells low, roundish, hairs along the cartilaginous margins and at tip.
Flowers. 3-7 in cymes (lateral ternate or biternate dichasia), brightly pinkish-purple, (10-)15-20(-30) mm in diameter. The central pedicel is short, not bracteate and naked, the lateral ones are bracteate about 7 mm long. Calyx obconic, lobes 5 unequal, the 2 opposite, leafy longer than the remaining ones sharply mucronate margin membranous pinkish. Petals linear-spatbulate light and dark purplish-violet. Filamentous staminodes are present pinkish, filaments pink, anthers small pale yellow. Styles 5 greenish.
Fruits: 5 mm in diameter, 5-celled, grey.
Remarks. The plant sold worldwide as Delosperma brunnthaleriSN|34677]]SN|34677]] is herbaceous, creeping and has large flowers. It is certainly not Delosperma brunnthaleriSN|34677]]SN|34677]]. Has nothing to do with the real Delosperma brunnthaleriSN|34677]]SN|34677]] nothing. Most likely, this is Delosperma roseopurpureum.
Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge, John Little, Edmund C. Snodgrass, "Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living", Timber Press, 25 apr 2011
2) Heidrun E.K. Hartmann, "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Aizoaceae A-E", Springer Science & Business Media, 06 December 2012
3) Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton, "Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names", Springer Science & Business Media, 29 June 2013
4) Delosperma brunnthaleri in: Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum web: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=3795.240
5) Original description of Delosperma brunnthaleri by: A.Berger Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 57: 632 1922.
Cultivation and Propagation: Delosperma brunnthaleriSN|34677]]SN|34677]] is a robust, hardy species that forms beautiful cushions. It does best in sandy well-drained soil. Great for rock gardens, ground cover with thick succulent leaves, pinkish-purple, full sun, attractive to butterflies, great choice for hot dry areas. It is suited for green roofs.
