Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E.Br.
Iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis) is a long-lived, evergreen succulent that is native to South Africa. It was introduced to New Zealand as a garden ornamental and was first recorded in the wild (naturalised) in 1883. The plant forms dense mats with trailing stems that root where they contact the ground. It has fleshy, three-sided leaves and flowers from spring to summer, producing large yellow flowers that often fade to pink with age, which develop into fleshy fruits containing numerous seeds. It tolerates drought, wind, salt spray and sandy soils. It reproduces by seed and vegetatively from creeping stems. Seeds are dispersed by animals that eat the fruit. Creeping stems are spread by soil movement, dumped garden waste and other human activities, and stem fragments readily produce new plants.
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