The stalked leaves of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum are ovate, tapering to acutely pointed tips. They are thickly succulent, covered in numerous shiny water cells or bladder cells. Water cells are large, skin surface cells visibly containing water stored for dry seasons, rather than for rainy days when they are replenished.

The high salt content of the leaves has made them useful in the leather industry for softening hides and in preparation for tanning.

The plants can proliferate stems and leaves on the ground very fast after winter rains, sometimes to 20 cm in diameter only two weeks after germination (Van Rooyen and Van Rooyen, 2019; Grenier, 2019; Smith, et al, 2017; Smith, et al, 1998; Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; iNaturalist; Wikipedia).