Carpobrotus edulis (Ice Plant)

Photographs

My photos:

This little bluff in Torrey Pines is covered with Ice Plant.

More photos:

The flower, from The Nature Conservancy

click photo to enlarge

Plant Information

Aizoaceae

In the garden:

Also known as Mesembryanthemum edule, this is the large ice plant which is familiar to most people. Once used as a slope cover, it is no longer recommended for steep slopes, as it tends to pull these down. It flowers usually in late spring and summer with yellow flowers, which sometimes vary to a rose-purple. It’s fruit is edible. This succulent tolerates salty soils very well. It is listed as an invasive plant at The Nature Conservancy Wild Invasive Species Team website.

In the wild:

C. edulis is native to coastal areas of South Africa, a region with a Mediterranean climate similar to that of coastal California.

Ethnobotany:

C. edulis was brought to California in the early 1900s for stabilizing soil along railroad tracks. It was later used by Caltrans for similar purposes, and until the 1970s thousands of acres were planted with iceplant. For several decades it was also widely promoted as an ornamental plant for home gardens, and it is still available at some nurseries. [ref]

It produces a fig-like brown fruit which is edible and can be used as a preserve, the leaves are also edible and taste a little like a pickled cucumber. C. chilensis fruit was used for food by native people.

Field Trips
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