Trailing pigface (Hottentot fig)

Carpobrotus edulis

Mat-forming South African coastal succulent with thick triangular fleshy leaves and large yellow or pink daisy-like flowers, followed by edible fig-like fruits.

Hardiness ratings

Trailing pigface (Hottentot fig) hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 9–11 −6.7 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H3 −5 °C to 1 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 9 −1 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 3–7 −5 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Native to coastal South Africa — sandy soils and salt-laden coastal wind
  • WARNING: Highly INVASIVE in coastal California, Mediterranean Europe, southern Australia, and the UK Channel Islands — smothers native coastal vegetation, listed as a noxious weed in many of those regions, do not plant outside its native range
  • Edible fruits — tart fig-like flavour, made into jam in South Africa
  • Within South Africa, a useful coastal-dune stabiliser
  • Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Trailing pigface (Hottentot fig) against your zones

Reference

Trailing pigface (Hottentot fig) on Wikipedia