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Vascular Plants of California
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Carpobrotus edulis
FREEWAY ICEPLANT


Higher Taxonomy
Family: AizoaceaeView DescriptionDichotomous Key
Common Name: FIG-MARIGOLD or ICEPLANT FAMILY
Habit: Annual, perennial herb, shrub, generally fleshy. Stem: underground to erect; root fibrous or tuberous. Leaf: generally simple, entire, flat, cylindric, 3-angled, or scale-like, generally cauline, generally opposite; stipules generally 0; blade papillate, pubescent, or generally glabrous, often glaucous. Inflorescence: cyme or 1-flowered, generally terminal. Flower: generally bisexual, radial; hypanthium present; sepals (3)5(8), often unequal; petals 0 or many in several whorls, free or fused at base, linear; stamens 1--many, free or fused in groups, outer often petal-like; nectary a ring or separate glands; pistil 1, ovary superior to inferior, chambers 1--20, placentas generally parietal, styles 0--20. Fruit: berry, nut, or generally capsule, opening by flaps or circumscissile. Seed: 1--many per chamber, generally ovoid, arilled or not.
Genera In Family: 130 genera, 2500 species: generally subtropics, especially southern Africa; many cultivated. Note: Galenia pubescens (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Druce, a waif, may be naturalizing in southern California.
Unabridged Note: Disphyma crassifolium (L.) L. Bolus (ovary glands convex, minute-crenate; stigmas dense-plumose; fruit chambers 5; seeds ovate, +- smooth), of tribe Ruschieae, an historical waif in California; Lampranthus coccineus (Haw.) N.E. Br.: (ovary glands fused; fruit chambers 5; seeds pear-shaped, +- black, rough), of Ruschieae, an historical waif or urban weed in California.
eFlora Treatment Author: Nancy J. Vivrette, John Bleck & Wayne R. Ferren, Jr., family description, key to genera
Scientific Editor: Bruce G. Baldwin, Thomas J. Rosatti.
Genus: CarpobrotusView DescriptionDichotomous Key


Habit: Shrub. Stem: trailing, forming mats, < 20 dm, nodes rooting; flower-branches ascending. Leaf: opposite, +- linear-elliptic, fleshy, glabrous, +- triangular in ×-section. Inflorescence: 1-flowered, terminal; bracts 2. Flower: 3--15 cm diam; sepals 5, unequal, margins of smaller 2--3 expanded, papery; petals free, magenta, pink, yellow, or white; stamens many, erect, white or yellow; ovary inferior, chambers 6--14[20], styles 0, stigmas 6--14[20], sessile, linear, hairy. Fruit: berry-like, fleshy, indehiscent. Seed: many, glossy brown, in fleshy pulp.
Etymology: (Greek: fruit edible)
eFlora Treatment Author: Nancy J. Vivrette
Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E. Br.
NATURALIZED
Stem: < 3 m. Leaf: widest below middle, not glaucous. Flower: pedicelled; sepals 3--4 cm, sharp-triangular in ×-section, outer angle serrate near tip; petals 3--4 cm. Fruit: triangular, +- flat toward pedicel. Chromosomes: n=18.
Ecology: Common. Many coastal habitats, especially sand; Elevation: < 100 m. Bioregional Distribution: NCo, CCo, SCo, ChI; Distribution Outside California: to Mexico; native to southern Africa. Flowering Time: +- all year Note: Hybridizes with Carpobrotus chilensis; extensively planted along highways and for dune stabilization; invasive.
Synonyms: Mesembryanthemum edule L.
Jepson eFlora Author: Nancy J. Vivrette
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)
View the CDFA Pest Rating page for Carpobrotus edulis
Weed listed by Cal-IPC

Previous taxon: Carpobrotus chilensis
Next taxon: Conicosia

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Botanical illustration including Carpobrotus edulis

botanical illustration including Carpobrotus edulis

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Citation for this treatment: Nancy J. Vivrette 2012, Carpobrotus edulis, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=17975, accessed on April 19, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 19, 2024.

Carpobrotus edulis
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©2018 Neal Kramer
Carpobrotus edulis
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©2009 California Academy of Sciences
Carpobrotus edulis
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©2014 Neal Kramer
Carpobrotus edulis
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©2018 Neal Kramer
Carpobrotus edulis
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©2023 California Academy of Sciences

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Geographic subdivisions for Carpobrotus edulis:
NCo, CCo, SCo, ChI
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map of distribution 1
(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).





 

Data provided by the participants of the  Consortium of California Herbaria.
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Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
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CCH collections by month

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).