MESEMBRY 
iSrely white, making a poor appearance. Germ frnooth, 
with a navel at the top. Seeds as many as twenty-five in 
a cell, ftnall, flatted a little, kidney-form, triangular, fome- 
avliat wrinkled. Native of Greece, near Athens, where 
it was found by the late John Sibthorp, M. D. profefl'or of 
botany at Oxford. Flowers in July and Auguft. 
5. Mefembryanthemum humifufum, or narrow-leaved 
• icy -fig-marigold : leaves embracing, fpatulate, keeled ; 
teats conical, rugged ; petals very minute. Native of the 
Gape, where it was found by Maflon. Flowers in July 
*nd Auguft. 
6. Mefembryanthemum Copticum, or Coptic fig-mari- 
.gold : leaves half round, papulofe, diftinbt; flowers fef- 
iile, axillary ; calyxes five-cleft. This is an annual, and 
a native of Egypt. 
7. Mefembryanthemum apetalum, or dwarf fpreading 
fig-marigold : leaves embracing, diftinbt, linear, flat above, 
longer than the internodes, papulofe ; papulae oblong ; 
flowers peduncled; calyxes five-cleft. This is alfo an 
annual. Stems herbaceous, round, red. The whole 
plant is covered with obfolete papulofe fhining dots. 
M. Copticum of Jacquin is luppofed to be this fpecies, and 
not the Copticum of Linnaeus. He obferves, that the Items 
are very fhort, divided into branches that appear to be 
Hems j that the flowers are about fourteen only ; the fila¬ 
ments of the fame length with the petals, with red an- 
therae ; the ftyles thick, hirfute, and reflected. In other 
refpebts bis defcription agrees with that given above from 
the Supplement of the younger Linnoeus. Native of the 
Cape; flowers in July and Auguft. 
8. Mefembryanthemum geniculiflorum, or jointed fig- 
marigold : leaves half round, papulofe, diftinbt; flowers 
ieflile, axillary ; calyxes four-cleft. Plant, whilrt young, 
herbaceous, but becoming lhrubby with age. Trunk then 
woody, a finger or more in thicknefs, covered with a 
brownifh alh-coloured bark. Branches decumbent, diva¬ 
ricating whilft young, cylindric, tender, covered with 
minute pimples, dark green, thick, flefhy; the bark, 
when old, becoming fomewhat woody, and affirming va¬ 
rious flexuofe contorted directions ; all the branches are 
nearly of the fame thicknefs, but the upper ones are 
fhorter, and more woody next the Item. Flowers fmall, 
making a poor appearance ; petals dull yellowifh white 
or pale ftraw-colour, linear, entire, or emarginate, reflex, 
the inner ones gradually fmaller; antherae fub-didymous, 
large for the fize of the flower; pollen yellow. Native of 
the Cape ; flowers from June to Auguft. 
9. Mefembryanthemum noftiflorum, or night-flowering 
fig-marigold : leaves femicylindric, undotted, diftinCl; 
flowers peduncled ; calyxes four-cleft. Of this there are 
two varieties. 
a. M. no£t. purpureum, or purple-flowering. The 
trunk, which attains the thicknefs of the little finger, is 
fmooth and even, covered with a bay-coloured bark, and 
has frequent joints where branches have fallen. Branches 
oppofite, fpreading irregularly, "and decumbent from the 
weight of the leaves. Leaves pale green and flightly glau¬ 
cous, obtufely triangular, fmooth and even, opaque, mi¬ 
nutely and thickly dotted fo as to make a very fine net; 
the lower ones longer; the upper ones, whence the pe¬ 
duncles arife, fliorter and thicker. The flowers are clofed 
during the day, open in the evening, and continue open 
during the night, at which time they are very fweet. 
Two legments of the calyx become fmaller as the flower 
opens, and difappear as the fruit ripens. 
f 3 . Stramineum, or ftraw'-coloured.. Flowers fomewhat 
larger, and of a very pale yellow on the outfide. Native 
of the Cape. Cultivated in 1714 by the duchefs of Beau¬ 
fort. It flowers from June to Auguft. 
_ 10. Mefembryanthemum fplendens, or Aiming fig-ma¬ 
rigold : leaves roundilh, undotted, recurved, diftinfr, 
heaped ; calyxes finger-lhaped, terminating. Stems woody, 
a foot and more in length, with many Ihort branches and 
cluttered leaves, with which they are fo loaded that they 
■cannot fupport themfelves. Leaves Ihort, bluntly three- 
ANTHEMU M. x 71 
fidcd, thick, fmooth, and fliining, pale-green, fcarcely 
if at all glaucous, with a few thick-green dots. Flowers 
folitary at the ends of the branchlets, on very fliort pe¬ 
duncles, large, whitifh or very pale yellow within, reddifh. 
on the outfide and at the tips. They appear in July and 
Auguft, and open before and after noon, when the fun 
ftiines, opening and doling feveral times, and finally 
doling about the fruit, which is ovate, with five lines or 
angles, five-celled. Native of the Cape. Cultivated in. 
1716, as appears from Bradley. 
11. Mefembryanthemum umbellatum, or umbellated 
fig-marigold : leaves awl-fhaped, rugged-dotted, connate, 
with a patulous tip; Item upright; corymb trichotomous. 
Stems woody; forming a regularly-branched liandfome 
hi rub, Handing without fupport, with a ftout Item, from 
two to three feet high, and even more. Branches many, 
fpreading every way, having four lines running along 
them, which give them the appearance of being quadran¬ 
gular. Leaves fubtriquetrous, wrinkled, bending this 
way and that, fomewhat refembling bull’s horns, glau¬ 
cous, except the younger ones, which are green and lefs 
wrinkled; when held up to the light, they appear to have 
innumerable pores. From one axil of each’ pair of leaves 
fometimes from both, one pair of leaves ufually fprings' 
which becomes a Ihoot, with feveral pairs of leaves on it* 
Flowers terminating, white; opening, when the fun ftiines^ 
from feven or eight in the morning to two or three in the 
afternoon, and fmelling like thofe of may or white-thorn... 
Native of the Cape. It flowers from June to September. 
12. Mefembryanthemum expanfum,orhoufeieek-Ieaved 
fig-marigoid : leaves flattifh, lanceolate, undotted, ipread- 
ing, diftinft, oppofite and alternate, remote. Stems and 
branches irregular and diftorted, as in tortuofum, from 
which however it differs in being fomewhat higher and 
more branched; the branches interwoven, lels woody, 
but fofter and more flefhy, with the bark fmoother and 
of a paler yellow; the leaves greener, fomething wider 
and thinner, with the ridge on the outer and the groove 
on the inner part more confpicuous, though lefs concave ; 
the dots rather oblong than round, fliining like filver in 
the funfhine ; flowers fomewhat larger and paler ; the pe¬ 
tals rather wider, and becoming yellowifh with age. Ca¬ 
lyx and capfules larger and more fwelling. The inner 
petals are yellowifh; the outer larger, and whitifh with a 
very flight tinge of yellow, fhining in the fun. Native of 
the Cape. Cultivated in 1705, by Dr. ITvedale. It flow¬ 
ers in July and Auguft. 
13. Mefembryanthemum tefticulare, or fliort white¬ 
leaved fig-marigold : leaves four, decuflated, flat above. 
Stemlefs; very white and fliort. Native of the Cape, 
where it was found by Maffon. 
14. Mefembryanthemum criniflorum, or hair-flowered 
fig-marigold : leaves ovate ; fcapes one-flowered. Size of 
the common daify. Found at the Cape of Good Hope bv 
Montin. 
15. Mefembryanthemum tripolium, or plane-leaved 
fig-marigold : leaves alternate, lanceolate, flat, undotted ; 
Items loofe, Ample; calyxes five-cornered. Root biennial. 
Stems proftrate, fmooth, finally terminating in flowers. 
Lower leaves many, almolt as long as the Items, refem¬ 
bling thofe of After tripolium, but thicker and more fuc- 
culent. Among thefe lpring three or four Items, fome¬ 
times more round, and having two or three joints, at each 
of which .are two fmaller leaves at the lower, and three or 
four at the upper, joints. Surface in all fmooth and even, 
and very minute white teeth about the edge, more per¬ 
ceptible in the fmaller leaves, and the lower part of the 
others. Flowers ufually folitary, filvery white, opening 
in the middle of the day, and of ihort duration. Capfuls 
very large, deeply five-angled, five-celled, very flefhy, fleflj 
extremely hard and firm; cells very fmall, filled with a 
few large feeds, which are kidney-form, wrinkled, and of 
a fhining dark-brown colour. Native of the Cape; it 
flowers from June to September. 
16. Mefembryanthemum calamiforme, or quill-leaved 
