Mesembryanthemum guerichianum

Mesembryanthemum guerichianum, commonly known in Afrikaans as brakslaai (brackish salad), is one of only about 15 species making up the Mesembryanthemum genus.

This impressively travelled, even globetrotting genus has settled on five continents. Biological colonists of the plant world fear no xenophobia, invade as vigorously as conditions allow. One or other of the species is a local along the south and north coasts of Africa, the west coasts of both North and South America, the south coast of Australia and coastal parts of Asia Minor and southern Europe. Seen by people on land almost all around the Mediterranean, this mesemb genus is and was well-known in the old world.

Early in the twentieth century most mesembs were considered to belong to this genus, the whole family then named Mesembryanthemaceae. Subsequent splitting into many genera has resulted in a multitude of new genera for the now more diverse Aizoaceae family (Smith, et al, 1998; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot; Wikipedia).