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A succulent South African plant with brightly coloured daisy-like flowers.
Mesembryanthemum and related genera, family Aizoaceae
‘Its semi-desert vegetation of grass, shrubs, karoobossies and mesembryanthemums covers the hills and vales, and epitomises the wild and free spirit of this land.’
‘For ease of maintenance mesembryanthemums can't be beaten because they come in bright colours and require little water and develop into soft billows.’
‘Out near the lighthouse at Cabo Sardão the cliffs were smothered in mesembryanthemum, sherbet-yellow flowers in tangles of fleshy leaves.’
‘I have no idea what mesembryanthemums are, but I am going to find out.’
‘Things like sea holly, sea cabbage and mesembryanthemums all need the sun to open their flowers…’
‘‘When he examined it more closely he found it was not a daisy but a drosanthemum, which is a member of the mesembryanthemum family,’ Rabie said.’
‘A lot of South African species survive in dryish conditions - Geraniums, mesembryanthemums, etc.’
Origin
Modern Latin, based on Greek mesēmbria ‘noon’ + anthemon ‘flower’.