Flora canaria > Especies silvestres
Mesembryanthemum theurkauffii
Mesembryanthemum theurkauffii (Maire) Maire
Familia
AIZOACEAE
Barrilla de Jandía, Cosco de jandía
Mesembryanthemum theurkauffii is an annual succulent plant of the Aizoaceae family, commonly known in the Canary Islands as ‘cosco de Jandía’. It is a protected native species in the Canary Islands and is native to the arid regions of north-western Africa.
It is a creeping, highly succulent herbaceous plant with an annual life cycle. Its stems may be short and erect or long and prostrate on the ground.
The leaves are opposite, cylindrical, fleshy and lack petioles (sessile). Their surface is covered with fine crystalline papillae, and they change colour in response to sunlight or water stress, ranging from green to ochre or pink.
Flowers are solitary, found in the leaf axils, and measure between 13 and 15 mm in diameter. They have petaloid staminodes that are white or yellowish-white in colour.
It develops a pentalocular (5-locular) capsule which tends to become woody and has the distinctive feature of expanding into a star shape when moistened to release its seeds.
In Spain, it is found growing wild only on the island of Fuerteventura, concentrated in very specific locations such as the area around the Jandía lighthouse, the southern part of the Barranco de La Torre and the Ensanada del Castillo.
It thrives best in arid, stony and sandy soils exposed to strong sunlight. Its main flowering period occurs during the spring months, between March and June.
Fuerteventura
Barrilla de Jandía, Cosco de jandía
Mesembryanthemum theurkauffii is an annual succulent plant of the Aizoaceae family, commonly known in the Canary Islands as ‘cosco de Jandía’. It is a protected native species in the Canary Islands and is native to the arid regions of north-western Africa.
It is a creeping, highly succulent herbaceous plant with an annual life cycle. Its stems may be short and erect or long and prostrate on the ground.
The leaves are opposite, cylindrical, fleshy and lack petioles (sessile). Their surface is covered with fine crystalline papillae, and they change colour in response to sunlight or water stress, ranging from green to ochre or pink.
Flowers are solitary, found in the leaf axils, and measure between 13 and 15 mm in diameter. They have petaloid staminodes that are white or yellowish-white in colour.
It develops a pentalocular (5-locular) capsule which tends to become woody and has the distinctive feature of expanding into a star shape when moistened to release its seeds.
In Spain, it is found growing wild only on the island of Fuerteventura, concentrated in very specific locations such as the area around the Jandía lighthouse, the southern part of the Barranco de La Torre and the Ensanada del Castillo.
It thrives best in arid, stony and sandy soils exposed to strong sunlight. Its main flowering period occurs during the spring months, between March and June.
Fuerteventura
