Plant of the Week: Ice Plant

Written by: Brooke Cherek

The plant of this week is the ice plant (Carpobrotus spp.)! This colorful terrestrial succulent is also known as the hottentot fig, sea fig, and highway ice plant. 

The ice plant has fleshy 3-sided leaves and produces bright flowers that close during the nighttime. Its root system is shallow, fibrous, and spreads quickly, covering wide swaths of ground. This carpet-like growth habit allows the ice plant to out-compete native flora on coastal dunes.  

This plant is resistant to salinity, poor soil quality, and drought. It prefers disturbed, sandy soils and takes root on beaches, dunes, coastal cliffs, and any kind of sand drift. Mildly warm climates are favored by this plant, where it can receive full sun. It has become a formidable invasive along the California coast because of this. 

The ice plant is native to South Africa but has made its way to five continents due to human transport. In the early 1900s, this plant was valued and adored as an ornamental groundcover and was implemented along railways, roadways, and highly erosive soils, hence the name highway ice plant. Now, these plants can be found along the coasts of the Mediterranean, South America, New Zealand, and in California where they have become an especially aggressive invasive plant. 

There are two species of ice plant that are commonly found on California beaches and dunes: Carpobrotus edulis which has large diameter white to pink flowers, and Carpobrotus chilensis which can be identified by its smaller magenta flowers. These species readily hybridize with each other and retain traits from both. 

The genus name Carpobrotus means “edible fruit” in Greek, which refers to the edible fig-like fruit that the ice plant produces. In South Africa, the fruits are made into jams and other delectables. The leaves of the ice plant are also edible and can be eaten raw, cooked, or made into pickles or chutney, much like a cucumber. They are commonly eaten in salads when raw. 

Chemical components in this plant make it slightly antiseptic. The ice plant has a variety of medicinal uses due to this, including use as a skin astringent, burn relief, insect bite relief, and treatment for other forms of skin irritation. 

Because of its succulent leaf structure, the ice plant is partially resistant to fire. This has stirred up debate within the fire-prone state of California. Fire damage is a constant worry among homeowners, but many question the use of ice plants as a natural firebreak due to its invasive nature. Is it worth the ecological risks it poses? 

Brooke Cherek 

Contributing Writer 

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