Flora of North America species comparison

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Carpobrotus edulis

freeway ice plant, Hottentot-fig, ice plant, sour fig
Stems

to 3 m;

bark persistent, leathery.
Leaves

green;

blade sharply 3-angled in cross section, widest proximal to middle, adaxial side concave, outer angle serrate near apex, 5–11 × 1–1.5 cm.
Inflorescences

pedicel 20–60 mm.
Flowers

8–10 cm diam.;

calyx lobes 10–60 mm;

outer 2 lobes sharply 3-angled in cross section, abaxial angle serrate near apex, 30–60 mm;

inner 3 lobes smaller, with membranous margins;

petals (including petaloid staminodia) 100–200, yellow, aging pink, 2–4(–5)-seriate, 30–40 mm;

stamens 100 per series, yellow, 4(–7)-seriate, simple to plumose, 6–8(–12) mm;

anthers yellow;

stigmas radiating out over fruits, 8–15 mm.
Fruits

yellowish, clavate to subglobose, depressed apically, 20–35 mm.
Seeds

ca. 1000.
2n

= 18.

Carpobrotus edulis
Phenology Flowering year-round, mostly spring.
Habitat Coastal dunes, bluffs and terraces, margins of estuaries
Elevation 0-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; Mexico (Baja California); South America (Chile); Europe; s Africa; Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Carpobrotus edulis is extensively planted in gardens and along highways and is also used for dune and bluff stabilization. An invasive, introduced species escaped from cultivation, C. edulis hybridizes with other Carpobrotus species. According to W. Wisura and H. F. Glen (1993), pink-flowered plants are seen in the wild only when C. edulis comes in contact with species of Carpobrotus with purple flowers.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 87.
Parent taxa Aizoaceae > Carpobrotus
Sibling taxa
C. chilensis
Synonyms Mesembryanthemum edule
Name authority (Linnaeus) N. E. Brown: in E. P. Phillips, Gen. S. Afr. Fl. Pl., 249. (1926)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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