| Natal sourfig | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Aizoaceae |
| Genus: | Carpobrotus |
| Species: | C. dimidiatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Carpobrotus dimidiatus | |
Carpobrotus dimidiatus (commonly known as Natal sourfig) is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The flowers of C. dimidiatus range bright pink to mauve. The receptacle is turbiniform to "barrel-shaped" (similar to that of C. mellei ), and tapers at the bottom into the pedicel. It is also often strongly and distinctively double-ridged. The top of the ovary is slightly raised in the centre.
The leaves are relatively long and thin. The mature leaves are straight (though the very young leaves can be subacinaciform). They have somewhat canaliculate surfaces and are basally connate. In cross-section they can form an approximate equilateral triangle. They are a dull glaucous-green colour. [1]
Their natural habitat is the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, also stretching south into the Eastern Cape and north into Mozambique.
In the south or west of its natural range, it transitions into the related species Carpobrotus deliciosus .
Its fruits are edible and are grazed by tortoises and other southern African animals. [2]
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng.
Carpobrotus edulis is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus Carpobrotus, native to South Africa. Its common names include hottentot-fig, sour fig, ice plant or highway ice plant.
Kniphofia is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. The species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant.
Aristaloe is a genus of evergreen flowering perennial plants in the family Asphodelaceae from Southern Africa. Its sole species is Aristaloe aristata, known as guinea-fowl aloe or lace aloe.
Carpobrotus, commonly known as pigface, ice plant, sour fig, Hottentot fig, and clawberry is a genus of ground-creeping plants with succulent leaves and large daisy-like flowers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek karpos "fruit" and brotos "edible", referring to its edible fruits.
Gasteria is a genus of succulent plants, native to South Africa and the far south-west corner of Namibia.
The KwaZulu-Natal midlands is an inland area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa that starts from Pietermaritzburg and ends before the Drakensberg mountain range.
Carpobrotus acinaciformis is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to South Africa.
Delosperma is a genus of around 170 species of succulent plants, formerly included in Mesembryanthemum in the family Aizoaceae. It was defined by English botanist N. E. Brown in 1925. The genus is common in southern and eastern Africa, with a few species in Madagascar, Reunion island, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Delosperma species, as do most Aizoaceae, have hygrochastic capsules, opening and closing as they wet and dry.
Areas of forest which grow in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa mostly on south facing slopes in higher rainfall areas, and along the humid coastal areas. Different types of forest can be identified by their species composition which depends mostly on the altitude, latitude and substrate in which they grow. South facing slopes are favourable for the development of forest as they are more shaded, and therefore cooler and retain more moisture than the northern slopes. The extra moisture on the south slopes is not only favoured by forest trees, but also helps to prevent or subdue wildfires. Fires can also be blocked by cliff faces and rocks or boulders on these slopes, and by streams or rivers at the base of the slopes. The coastal regions are conducive to forest formation, because of high rainfall and humidity which are favoured by forest trees and also help to prevent or subdue fires. The rivers of the coastal areas are also broader than further inland, which may often prevent fires from spreading long distances, and fires generally burn uphill and therefore more often away from areas at low altitude.
The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot (MPA) is a biodiversity hotspot, a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity, in Southern Africa. It is situated near the south-eastern coast of Africa, occupying an area between the Great Escarpment and the Indian Ocean. The area is named after Maputaland, Pondoland and Albany. It stretches from the Albany Centre of Plant Endemism in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, through the Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism and KwaZulu-Natal Province, the eastern side of Eswatini and into southern Mozambique and Mpumalanga. The Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism is contained in northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique.
Carpobrotus quadrifidus is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to the west coast of South Africa.
Carpobrotus deliciosus is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to a strip along the south coast of South Africa.
Carpobrotus muirii is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to the Overberg region in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Carpobrotus mellei is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to the inland mountain ranges of the Western Cape, South Africa.
Crassula nudicaulis is a succulent plant native to South Africa, and Lesotho.
Gasteria croucheri is a succulent plant, native to KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Tetradenia riparia is a species of flowering plant native to southern Africa. It belongs in the mint and sage family Lamiaceae. It is occasionally referred to as misty plume bush and is commonly used as a decorative garden plant due to its flowers when in full bloom. Tetradenia means 'four glands' and riparia translates to 'growing on banks of rivers'. This species was first described by botanists Hochstetter and Codd in 1983. It is also known as ginger bush, Incense Bush, Ibozane and musk bush.
Drypetes arguta, commonly known as the water ironplum, is a species of small tree or large bush in the family Putranjivaceae. It is native to tropical East Africa. It was first described in 1920 by the English botanist John Hutchinson, who named it Cyclostemon argutus. It was later transferred to the genus Drypetes.
Carpobrotus modestus, commonly known as inland pigface, is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to the coasts of Australia. It produces purple flowers which mature into fruits and is mainly used as a groundcover succulent or as a drought tolerant plant.
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