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Species library › Mesembryanthemum › Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
Succulents Well documented

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

A salt-loving, usually annual succulent of Mediterranean, Macaronesian and southern African coasts, covered in glittering water-filled bladder cells. It germinates with the cool-season rains, grows fast in full sun, and dies back as summer drought sets in. It can switch to CAM photosynthesis under drought or salt stress.

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
Photo: Yummifruitbat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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

Coastal sands, saline flats, cliff tops and disturbed ground such as roadsides near the sea, often on poor or salty soils where few other plants compete.

Mostly coastal lowlands, with a median recorded elevation of 74 m. A few records reach 850 m on the Canary Islands.

Canary Is.MadeiraSpainBalearesMoroccoAlgeriaTunisiaLibyaEgyptSinaiPalestineCyprusItalySiciliaSardegnaCorse

🔒 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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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 4.0 licence, unmodified.