Mesembryanthemum cordifolium

A creeping, mat-forming succulent from the coastal Eastern and Western Cape with small heart-shaped leaves and magenta daisy flowers that open only in sun. It is easy and fast in bright light with free drainage, and it dislikes frost and soggy, cold soil.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Low coastal and near-coastal scrub, thicket margins and rocky or sandy ground in the southern Cape, often scrambling over other plants or spreading across open patches. Records cluster from the Cape Peninsula east to the Eastern Cape.

Mostly near sea level to a few hundred metres; the measured sites run from 4 to about 540 m.

Cape Provinces

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Mesembryanthemum

Mesembryanthemum tortuosum Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Mesembryanthemum digitatum Mesembryanthemum tomentosum Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum Mesembryanthemum namibense Mesembryanthemum lancifolium

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.