Plants in Israel: Canarian Aizoon

Aizoon canariense, Aizoon procumbens, Glinus chrystallinus,Canarian Aizoon, Purslane-leaved aizoon,

Hebrew: חיעד קנרי, Arabic: حدق , مليح , كشة البلد

Scientific name:   Aizoon canariense L.
Synonym name:   Aizoon procumbens Crantz; Glinus chrystallinus Forssk.
Common name:   Canarian Aizoon, Purslane-leaved aizoon
Hebrew name:   חיעד קנרי
Arabic name:   حدق , مليح , كشة البلد
Family:   Aizoaceae, Fig-marigold family, חיעדיים


Life form:   Annual
Succulence:   Stem + leaf succulent
Stems:   woody-stemmed, up to 40 cm long, zig-zagging branches which radiate from the centre of the plant in a star shape
Leaves:   Subcircular to obovate, entire, decurrent at base, pilose
Inflorescence:   Axillary solitary, sessile
Flowers:   Hermaphrodite; petals absent; perianth segments yellowish inside, greenish or reddish and pilose outside; ovary superior
Fruits / pods:   Woody, star-shaped capsule red or pink, depressed in the middle; black, shiny, kidney-shaped seeds
Flowering Period:   Januari, February, March, April
Habitat:   Salty and non-salty habitats in wadis in hot desert areas
Distribution:   Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:   Sudanian
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Aizoon, αειζωον , from ‘ever living’; evergreen.

canariense, from the Canary Islands.
procumbens, spread over the surface of the ground.
Glinus, Greek, sweet juice.
chrystallinus, resembles Chrystallised Pyrites, Marcasite.

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Crantz is used to indicate Heinrich Johann Nepomuk von Crantz (Roodt-sur-Eisch, Luxembourg, 1722 – 1799, Judenburg, Austria) , a botanist and a physician.
  • The standard author abbreviation Forssk. is used to indicate Peter Forsskål (1732 – 1763),a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.