Carpobrotus mellei (Carpobrotus mellei)
Description
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, commonly known as pigface, ice plant, and Hottentot plant, is a genus of ground-creeping plants with succulent leaves and large daisy-like flowers. The name refers to the edible fruits. It comes from the Ancient Greek karpos "fruit" and brotos "edible". The genus includes some 12 to 20 accepted species. Most are South African, endemics, but there are at least four Australian species and one South American. 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.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Aizoaceae
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Genus: Carpobrotus
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