Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with Times readers.
Of all the plant families containing succulents, the one with the most species is the ice plant family, Aizoaceae.
This family was long known by the tongue-twister name Mesembryanthemaceae, and because of the awkwardness of this long name, the plants became known by the shortened term of “mesembs.” Even though the family name has been changed, this term is still used today.
Within this group reside a number of plant marvels, including plants with such appealing common names as Baby Toes, Split Rock, Tiger Jaws and Living Stones.
One member of the family is common along the coast of California, where it is sometimes considered an unwelcome invader. This is Carpobrotus, commonly called ice plant, grows as a spreading mat with fingerlike leaves.
Many people wonder how the name ice plant came to be used for this. In actuality, this common name was originally used for a different plant in the family that has crystalline growths on its leaves, and only after the family became known as the ice plant family was the term applied to Carpobrotus.
Considering the hundreds of species in the Aizoaceae family, it is remarkable that the great majority of them come from one region — southern Africa.
Many have never been tested as horticultural subjects, but one interesting species that does well in our area is Glottiphyllum longum.
Like other members of the genus Glottiphyllum, this plant has tongue-like leaves and yellow flowers. The name “Glottiphyllum” refers to the tongue-like appearance of the leaves. However, many of the other kinds are resentful of long stretches of wet weather in winter, and can quickly turn to mush.
The leaves of Glottiphyllum longum are bright green and smooth, and they are soft and flexible rather than rigid.
Plants make offshoots to form ground-hugging clumps. The golden yellow flowers are more than 2 inches across and have many narrow petals.
The seed pods that follow look at first like little spineless sea urchins sitting in a green cup, but as they dry, they turn brown and look as though they were made of wood.
When rain comes, a most remarkable thing happens — they swell with the moisture and the sections of the capsule open up, so that each pod looks like a little wooden delicately carved flower.
This is a seed dispersal mechanism, allowing the seeds to be splashed out by raindrops, and when dry conditions return, the pods close up again.
If you have a question for the Ruth Bancroft Garden, e-mail info@ruthbancroftgarden.org. For tour and event information, visit http://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org.
