Delosperma echinatum

Delosperma echinatum is a partly upright shrublet with some tendency to also spread. The many thin branches are densely covered in pairs of light green, barrel-shaped, succulent leaflets. The leaf resemblance to a pickle has earned the plant the common name of pickle plant, internationally even pickle cactus, although there is no botanical link to cacti. The leaflets are sparsely covered with bristly white hairs. The flowers are small and yellow.

The genus Delosperma is large, comprising more than 160 species. They are spread across the western and southern parts of South Africa and in a north-easterly direction all the way up through east Africa to the western part of Yemen. Some Delosperma species are also found in Namibia and on Madagascar.

The generic name Delosperma is constructed from two Greek words delos (visible) and sperma (seed). The feature warranting this name is the absence of covering membranes for the seeds within the capsules or closing bodies on the capsule valves (Smith, et al, 1998; www.enotes.com).