Carpobrotus edulis (L.) L. Bolus

Ice plant, hottentot fig, highway ice plant, pigface, sour fig

Similar species

	Carpobrotus chilensis	You are here Carpobrotus edulis
Common Name	sea fig	ice plant
Plant	These produce ground-hugging stems up to 6½′ (2 m), and these root at nodal points, spreading quickly to form large mats. These are a smaller version of Carpobrotus edulis, or ice plants, with which they are often confused.	Plants form large, low-growing mats less than 5″ (13 cm) high. Don’t confuse these with Carpobrotus chilensis.
Leaves	1½–3″ (4–7.5 cm) long, succulent, and triangular in cross-section.	2–4′ (60–130 cm) long, dull green to yellow green, triangular in cross-section, with each edge about ⅜–7/16″ (1–1.2 cm) long.
Flowers	Flowers are very colorful, almost a fluorescent shade of deep magenta. They are 1½–2½″ (3.8–6.4 cm) in diameter. Flowers appear year round.	Yellow fading to pale pink and 2½–6″ (6.3–15 cm) in diameter.
Fruit	Fruits have 8-10 chambers.	Multi-chambered, ripening from green to yellow.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 9b-11	USDA Zones: 9-11
Habitats	Common along the Pacific coast, in coastal sage scrub habitats, estuary margins, and roadsides, at elevations below 328′ (100 m).	Coastal sage scrub, disturbed soils.

Carpobrotus edulis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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