mesembryanthemum

American  

[muh-zem-bree-an-thuh-muhm] / məˌzɛm briˈæn θə məm /

noun

1. any of various chiefly Old World plants of the genus Mesembryanthemum, having thick, fleshy leaves and often showy flowers.

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mesembryanthemum British  

/ mɪzˌɛmbrɪˈænθɪməm /

noun

1. any plant of a South African genus ( Mesembryanthemum ) of succulent-leaved prostrate or erect plants widely grown in gardens and greenhouses: family Aizoaceae See fig marigold ice plant Livingstone daisy

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Etymology

Origin of mesembryanthemum

< New Latin (Linnaeus), irregular < Greek mesēmbrí ( a ) midday + ánthemon flower

Example Sentences

They found a pond at the distance of about eleven miles; the way to it being over a fine hard plain covered with mesembryanthemum and salsolae.

From Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2 by Mitchell, Thomas

In many places the ledges were draped with a dense curtain of the flat-flowered, pink-and-gold mesembryanthemum.

From In the Morning of Time by Roberts, Charles George Douglas, Sir

There was also a species of sida or Indian mallow, a sort of purslain, and another small plant, that seemed, from its leaves, a mesembryanthemum, with two species of grass.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 by Kerr, Robert

Violets, pinks, crocuses, yellow and purple mesembryanthemum, lavender, myrtle, and rosemary … his two-mile view contained them all.

From The Prince and Betty by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)

Spinifex and a new species of mesembryanthemum, with light pink flowers on a slender stalk, were the only plants growing in that wilderness, if I except a few withered acacia trees about four feet high.

From Expedition into Central Australia by Sturt, Charles