Known mostly as a drought tolerant ground cover or trailing basket ornamental, this little iceplant, Baby Sun Rose (aka Mesembryanthemum cordifolia, formally Aptenia cordifolia) makes a pretty green succulent carpet with bright pink flowers. A native to southern Africa, it is now grown throughout the world as an ornamental, especially as a ground cover where drought conditions exist. The bright little flowers only open during the sun hours of the day.
Some sources report this plant as edible, and it also has traditional medicinal uses, such as for treating wounds as a poultice, as an anti-inflammatory, and also a gentle enema for babies. But the more promising finding is that it contains the serotonin reuptake inhibitor and monoamine releasing agent, mesembrine. In fact, it had the second highest levels of mesembrine in an investigation of 21 different plants in the Mesembryanthemaceae.
#ethnobotany #ethnopharm #mesembrine #groundcover #iceplant #gardening #medicinalplants
Photo by JJ Harrison