Carpobrotus mellei

Mountain Sourfig
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Carpobrotus
Species: C. mellei
Binomial name
Carpobrotus mellei
(L.) L. Bolus

Carpobrotus mellei (commonly known as Mountain Sourfig, Berg suurvy) is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to the inland mountain ranges of the Western Cape, South Africa.

Carpobrotus ("Sour-fig") species are generally coastal plants, and of the seven species which occur in South Africa, this is the only species which naturally occurs inland in mountain fynbos.

The Mountain Sourfig's purple to pink flowers appear in Spring, and its leaves are smaller and more narrow than its related species. Its fruits are also smaller, and are club-shaped.

Its natural habitat is the fynbos vegetation of the Western Cape's mountain ranges, namely the Hottentots Holland, the Langeberg and the Swartberg mountains. Its fruits are edible and are grazed by tortoises and other southern African animals. [1]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/carpobed.htm
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