Species library › Mesembryanthemum › Mesembryanthemum tortuosum
Succulents Well documented

Mesembryanthemum tortuosum

Kanna (also known as Sceletium tortuosum), a sprawling, woody-based succulent of the karroid scrub of South Africa's Cape provinces. It often grows in the partial shade of shrubs, likes a gritty, well-drained soil and does not tolerate frost.

Mesembryanthemum tortuosum
Photo: SAplants, 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 Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Karroid scrub from Namaqualand to Montagu and Aberdeen, typically on stony slopes and flats, often sheltering under small shrubs.

Only three records carry elevations (830–1,050 m); the species is known from lower and higher karroid ground as well.

Northern CapeWestern CapeEastern Cape

🔒 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

Grow Mesembryanthemum tortuosum? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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.