Or MARINE COASTS. 93 



Abrams 1 ) not confined to coast, but also found on sand in the interior 

 valleys of California. 



Mesemlryanthemum aequilaterale Haworth. 



Perennial plant often forming extensive mats; robust, prostrate 

 stems, woody at base, with short ascending flowering branches; leaves 

 opposite, stem-clasping, 4 — 8 cm. long, glabrous, succulent, linear, tri- 

 angular, sometimes compressed laterally, acute; flowers rose-colored; 

 seeds minute, numerous. 



This species scarcely differs from the South African M. acinaciforme 

 L. except in smaller flowers and less succulent leaves. 



Follows the coast in California, Chili, and Australia. In the latter 

 country it sometimes ascends the rivers as far as the water is brackish, 

 and it occurs on the salt plains of the interior in a few places. Grows 

 generally on the littoral dune, where that formation is developed. 



M. australe Sol. 



Perennial; stems prostrate, rooting at base, 3 — 15 dm. long; leaves 

 opposite; connate at base, triangular, flat above, keeled or convex 

 beneath, acute, fleshy, 2 — 4 cm. long, often crowded in short auxiliary 

 shoots; some plants have red, others green leaves; flowers rose-colored. 



Appears not to be very distinct from M. crassifolium L. of South 

 Africa. 



Coasts of Australia, New Zealand, S'outh Pacific Islands and Cal- 

 ifornia, at San Prancisco, where most likely introduced. 



M . capitatum Haw. 



Perennial, often suffruticose caudex, simple or branched; leaves 

 crowded, very long, triquetrous, glaucescent. 



A South African species sometimes cultivated on sand dunes in 

 Australia. The nearly related M. pugioniforme L. from South Africa 

 is also a good sand stay. 



M. crystallinum L. 

 Prostrate annual or biennial, much-branched, stems thick, about 3 

 dm. long, covered with transparent vesicles; leaves undulate, succulent, 

 obovate, obtuse, narrowed into a stemclasping petiole; flowers white 

 or pink. 



1) L. R. Abrams: Flora of Los Angeles and vicinity, p. 271, 1904. 



