Mesembriantemum in the photo - fabulous crystal grass

Mesembriantemum in the photo or Crystal Grass is a plant that should be placed on your site. Its creeping shoots with leaves in the sun sparkle as if they were showered with crystal chips.

This effect is due to the shiny glandular hairs on the leaves, which can be mistaken for crystal droplets. His other name - noon day - can be considered a literal translation of the official name of the plant from Greek, which means "blooming at noon". Mesembriantemum flowers in the photo reveal only in clear weather, the rest of the time they are tightly closed.

The most common among cultivated plants is crystal mesembriantemum, native to North Africa, also grows in Europe and Western Asia. This perennial is grown in a temperate, cold climate as an annual, because the "African" does not tolerate winter cold.

Mesembriantemum blooms almost all summer, before the onset of the first small frosts. If you cut off the shoots with flowers before placing them at home, the plant will delight with flowering for a long time. It is curious that the already cut "Crystal Grass" for a long time feels great even without water, so much water supply in this succulent along with nutrients. The color of the species flowers of the mesembryanthemum can be red, pink, white, and occasionally yellow. Varietals are found yellow, red, orange, lilac, lilac.

Since the plant is short, it is more often grown on alpine hills, in rocky gardens, using it as borders. It is also grown as a pot culture.