Description

Carpobrotus deliciosus is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to a strip along the south coast of South Africa.

Flowers of Carpobrotus deliciosus

This adventurous and rewarding plant has pink-purple or magenta coloured flowers (occasionally white). These striking flowers appear in spring.

Growth habit of Carpobrotus deliciosus

These plants possess almost straight but slightly curved green leaves which are triangular in cross-section. Under stress the stems and leaves can portray red or deep purple colours.

The stems grow prostrate (flat) along the ground and can cover an area of ground faster than other groundcovers. Nevertheless it is easy to manage with pruning and the resultant cuttings can be used in other areas that need soil cover.

Fruit of the sweet Suurvygie / Sour Fig

Carpobrotus deliciosus is commonly referred to as ‘sour fig’ or ‘suurvygie‘ (in Afrikaans) because of its sweet-tart fruits that can be made into traditional jams and preserves. The fruits can help to ease a sore throat and/or chest. The fruits of this species are said to be less sour and more pleasant tasting than those of its other Carpobrotus relatives (hence its name).

Its sweet edible fruits are also grazed by tortoises and other southern African animals.

Where does Carpobrotus deliciosus grow?

These vigorous and hardy plant is indigenous to  to the coastal rocks, dunes and plains along the far southern coast of South Africa. It is often found growing happily on sand dunes and in rocky grasslands along the coastal strip which extends along the whole of the Eastern Cape coast, but also extends into the Western Cape as far as Riversdale and into neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal.

Common names of Carpobrotus deliciosus:

Sour fig

Perdevy

Ghaukum

Ghounavy 

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Carpobrotus deliciosus”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.