Disphyma papillatum, commonly known as Chatham Island ice plant,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae and is endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. It is a succulent, prostrate herb with flattened, pimply, trailing stems, leaves that are triangular in cross-section, and white to pink, dark blue or purple daisy-like flowers.
Disphyma papillatum is a succulent, prostrate herb with pimply, two-angled, trailing stems rooting at the nodes, up to long, the internodes mostly long. The leaves are arranged in pairs, stem-clasping with their bases joined, each leaf triangular in cross-section, mostly long and wide, tapering towards the tip. The flowers are superficially daisy-like, in diameter on a pimply pedicel long with five sepals at the base. The petals are white, pink, dark blue or purple in three to five rows, each petal long and wide. There are many stamens with yellow anthers and five or six styles. Flowering occurs from November to January and the fruit is a capsule in diameter before opening. It is similar to Disphyma crassifolium but is distinguished from that species by its pimply, rather than smooth, and flattened, two-angled rather than cylindrical stems.[2] [3]
Disphyma papillatum was first formally described in 1971 by Robert Chinnock in the New Zealand Journal of Botany.
Carpobrotus glaucescens is endemic to the Chatham Islands, including the main island, Rangiuaria, Rangatira, Mangere Island, Little Mangere Island, Moturoa and Castle Island.