Species name :

Malephora crocea(Jacquin) Schwantes
Published in Deutsche Gärt.-Zeitung 43: 7 (1928)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Mesembryanthemum croceum Jacq.

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [PlantList] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life ]

Plant Family :

Aizooaceae Rudolphi (The Fig-Marigold Family)
16 species from the Aizooaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Red Ice Plant, Coppery Mesembryanthemum

Maltese name(s) :

Maltese name not known

Status for Malta :

Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 and spreads to form established, non-invasive populations. It may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly.

Frequency :

Very Common     Common     Frequent     Scarce     Rare     Very rare     Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: CHAMEOPHYTE (dwarf or small shrubs)
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon

Legal Protection [link]:

Not Protected by Law (LN200/2011 or LN311/2006)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

All Year

Colour of Flowers:

Orange or Red

Remarks :

Closely related is the species Malephora purpureo-crocea which has a violet-purple colour at the lower surface of the petals in contrast to a reddish one in M. crocea . Some authors considered the two species as varieties or subspecies.

Habitat in Europe:

Data will be available in the next update of this website.

Preferred habitat in Malta:

Degraded areas or wasteground usually from dumped cultivated material, or abandoned cultivation.

Botanical Description:

Data will be available in the next update of this website.

Distributional map in Europe
and the Mediterranean region (2018):

Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
(Euro+Med Checklist, 2017) - Country codes

[Ca(C L T) nGa(F) Si(S)]