Mesembryanthemum edule
| Carpobrotus edulis | |
|---|---|
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| Carpobrotus edulis, West Coast National Park, South Africa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Aizoaceae |
| Genus: | Carpobrotus |
| Species: | C. edulis |
| Binomial name | |
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Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E. Br |
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| Synonyms | |
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Mesembryanthemum edule L |
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Mesembryanthemum edule L
Carpobrotus edulis is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus Carpobrotus, native to South Africa. It is also known as Hottentot-fig,, highway ice plant or pigface and in South Africa as the sour fig (suurvy).
It was previously classified in Mesembryanthemum and is sometimes referred to by this name: Mesembryanthemum edule.
Carpobrotus edulis is a creeping, mat-forming succulent species and member of the fig-marigold family Aizoaceae, one of about 30 species in the genus Carpobrotus.
C. edulis is easily confused with its close relatives, including the more diminutive and less aggressive Carpobrotus chilensis (sea fig), with which it hybridizes readily. C. edulis can, however, be distinguished from most of its relatives by the size and colour of its flowers. The large, 2.5 to 6 inches (64 to 152 mm) diameter flowers of C. edulis are yellow or light pink, whereas the smaller, 1.5 to 2.5 inches (38 to 64 mm) diameter C. chilensis flowers are deep magenta. On the flowers, two of the calyx lobes are longer, extending further than the petals.
The leaves of C. edulis are only very slightly curved and have serrated sides near the tips.
The sour fig grows on coastal and inland slopes from Namaqualand in the Northern Cape through the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape. It is often seen as a pioneer in disturbed sites.
Flowers are pollinated by solitary bees, honey bees, carpenter bees, and many beetle species. Leaves are eaten by tortoises. Flowers are eaten by antelopes and baboons. Fruits are eaten by baboons, rodents, porcupines, antelopes, who also disperse the seeds. The clumps provide shelter for snails, lizards, and skinks. Puff adders and other snakes, such as the Cape cobra, are often found in Carpobrotus clumps, where they ambush the small rodents attracted by the fruits.
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Wikipedia