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Lampranthus multiradiatus

Creeping Ice-Plant

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Image:	Leaves, stems and flower	42KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Creeping Ice-Plant, Noon Flower

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE South Africa; EXOTIC EXOTIC circumtropical and subtropical

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands

KEY FEATURES: Succulent herb, creeping to 80cmL. LEAVES opposite; 3-angled; to 3cm; tip with soft spine, green to grey-green, ~whitish coating (=~glaucous). FLOWERS at branch ends; daisy-like; 4cmØ; petals narrow, pink to rose-red, stamens golden. Also called Noon Flower because the flowers open around midday.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Ice Plant (Lampranthus spectabilis) has leaves 5-8cm (vs 2-3cm); and flowers 5-7cmØ (vs 4cmØ).

Enlarged Image of 'Lampranthus multiradiatus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	-	-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-			-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Lampranthus multiradiatus (von Jacquin)
SYNONYMS: Mesembryanthemum roseum; Mesembryanthemum multiradiatum; Lampranthus glomeratus [sensu Neal]; Lampranthus roseus

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); CARYOPHYLLIDAE; Caryophyllales; AIZOACEAE. COMMENT: Also in family MESEMBRYANTHEMACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: A popular plant in Hawaii where the flowers are strung into leis while still in bud. The flowers open on the lei and last several days.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimen+photo (in DB), ~2002, G.McCormack, with ID Lampranthus multiradiatus, ID confirmed B.Sykes from image, 9/2005.

References:
p.341 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.634 Hortus 3rd
p.647 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.47 Tropica

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02, zupD05b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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