The hottentot fig ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis) was introduced from South Africa to California as a ground stabilizing plant. The spreading roots and ground cover nature of ice plant helped halt erosion on California’s coastal dunes. However, the plant became so naturalized that it is now classified as a weed and requires careful management to prevent its taking over native plant habitats.The hottentot fig flowers do not turn into any verifiable fruit and it’s not related to the fig tree, so the reason for the “fig” in the name is not clear. What is clear is that the plant grows so easily and well in its new region that growing hottentot fig in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 to 11 is such a snap that it bears some consideration when used in wild erosion control.
