Lampranthus is a genus of succulent plants in the family Aizoaceae, which are native to Namibia and the Cape Provinces of South Africa in southern Africa.
Description The genus name "Lampranthus" means "shining-flowers" in Greek, and the species of this genus have unusually large, bright flowers, of a range of colours (sometimes even bi-coloured), that usually appear in summer, and frequently cover the plants entirely.
The species of this genus typically have long, smooth, elongated, succulent leaves. These can be triangular or cylindrical, and like all plants in its family, appear in opposite pairs on the shrubs' branches.J. Manning: Field Guide to Fynbos. Struik, 2007. p.330.
Lampranthus can be clearly distinguished from related genera by its seed capsules. The seed capsules of all of these genera have triangular valves, which open when they become wet, exposing the seed chambers (locules). In contrast to Ruschia, each valve in a Lampranthus capsule has two wings, on either side of it, but no visible closing body. Unlike in Delosperma, the seeds in Lampranthus seed chambers are partially covered by a covering membrane. Lampranthus seeds sometimes have visible stalks too.
Reproduction
All Lampranthus species flower between June and August (in the Northern Hemisphere) with flower colours including red, orange, peach, yellow and light pink through to magenta and purple. They are pollinated by many insects, such as bees, wasps and beetles.
Species , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:
Lampranthus acutifolius (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus aduncus (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus affinis L.Bolus Lampranthus alboroseus Klak Lampranthus antonii L.Bolus Lampranthus arenarius H.E.K.Hartmann Lampranthus arenicola L.Bolus Lampranthus aureus (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus bicolor (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus borealis L.Bolus Lampranthus brachyandrus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus brownii (Hook.f.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus caudatus L.Bolus Lampranthus ceriseus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus coccineus (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus conspicuus (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus convexus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus coralliflorus (Salm-Dyck) N.E.Br. Lampranthus curviflorus (Haw.) H.E.K.Hartmann Lampranthus debilis (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus deflexus (Aiton) N.E.Br. Lampranthus densifolius (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus densipetalus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus diffusus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus disgregus N.E.Br. Lampranthus diutinus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus dregeanus (Sond.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus dubitans (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus dulcis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus dyckii (A.Berger) N.E.Br. Lampranthus edwardsiae (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus elegans (Jacq.) Schwantes Lampranthus emarginatoides (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus emarginatus (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus erratus N.E.Br. Lampranthus esterhuyseniae L.Bolus Lampranthus explanatus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus falcatus (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus falciformis (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus fergusoniae L.Bolus Lampranthus filicaulis (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus flexifolius (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus flexilis (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus foliosus L.Bolus Lampranthus formosus (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus francesiae H.E.K.Hartmann Lampranthus fugitans L.Bolus Lampranthus glaucoides (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus glaucus (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus glomeratus (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus godmaniae (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus haworthii (Donn ex Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus hiemalis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus hoerleinianus (Dinter) Friedrich Lampranthus holensis L.Bolus Lampranthus imbricans (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus intervallaris L.Bolus Lampranthus laetus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus lavisii (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus laxifolius (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus leipoldtii (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus leptaleon (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus leptosepalus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus lewisiae (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus liberalis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus littlewoodii L.Bolus Lampranthus marginatus (L.Bolus) H.E.K.Hartmann Lampranthus mariae (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus montaguensis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus multiradiatus (Jacq.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus multiseriatus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus mutatus (G.D.Rowley) H.E.K.Hartmann Lampranthus nardouwensis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus otzenianus (Dinter) Friedrich Lampranthus pakhuisensis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus pakpassensis H.E.K.Hartmann Lampranthus pauciflorus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus paucifolius (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus peacockiae (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus peersii (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus perreptans L.Bolus Lampranthus plautus N.E.Br. Lampranthus pleniflorus L.Bolus Lampranthus pocockiae (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus polyanthon (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus praecipitatus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus procumbens Klak Lampranthus productus (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus profundus (L.Bolus) H.E.K.Hartmann Lampranthus promontorii (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus proximus L.Bolus Lampranthus purpureus L.Bolus Lampranthus reptans (Aiton) N.E.Br. Lampranthus rupestris (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus scaber (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus schlechteri (Zahlbr.) L.Bolus Lampranthus sociorum (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus sparsiflorus L.Bolus Lampranthus spectabilis (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus spiniformis (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus staminodiosus Schwantes Lampranthus stanfordiae L.Bolus Lampranthus stayneri (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus stenopetalus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus stenus (Haw.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus stephanii (Schwantes) Schwantes Lampranthus stipulaceus (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus suavissimus L.Bolus Lampranthus sublaxus L.Bolus Lampranthus subrotundus L.Bolus Lampranthus swartbergensis (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus swartkopensis Strohschn. Lampranthus tenuifolius (L.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus turbinatus (Jacq.) N.E.Br. Lampranthus uniflorus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus vanheerdei L.Bolus Lampranthus vanzijliae (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus verecundus (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus vernalis (L.Bolus) L.Bolus Lampranthus violaceus (DC.) Schwantes Lampranthus watermeyeri (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. Lampranthus zeyheri (Salm-Dyck) N.E.Br.
Distribution These plants are mainly found in Southern Africa, especially in arid areas, such as the Fynbos habitats.
Phytochemistry L. aureus and L. spectabilis contain mesembrenol and low levels of related alkaloids such as mesembrenone and have sometimes been mismarketed as kanna (Mesembryanthemum tortuosum) extract which contains higher levels of related alkaloids.
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