View of garden with purple Carpobrotus edulis flowers in spanish southern coast
Carpobrotus edulis is a creeping, mat-forming succulent species and member of the Stone Plant family Aizoaceae, one of about 30 species in the genus Carpobrotus. It is also known as ice plant, Highway Ice Plant, Pigface or Hottentot Fig and in South Africa as the Sour Fig (Suurvy; earlier: Hotnosvy), on account of its edible fruit. It was previously classified in genus Mesembryanthemum and is sometimes referred to by this name. The species is native to South Africa but is naturalised in many other regions throughout the world. Carpobrotus edulis is easily confused with its close relative, the more diminutive and less aggressive Carpobrotus chilensis (sea fig), and the two species hybridize readily throughout their ranges in California. The large (63 to 150 mm) flowers of C. edulis are yellow or light pink, whereas the smaller, (38 to 63 mm) C. chilensis flowers are deep magenta. On the Mediterranean coast, Carpobrotus has spread out rapidly and now parts of the coastline are completely covered by this invasive species. Moreover, it has been shown that another invasive species, the black rat, enhances the spreading of the ice plant through its feces[1]. As the ice plant represents a food resource for the rat, the invasive species benefit from each other (invasive mutualism).
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Photo credit: © leandro hermida / Alamy / Afripics
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