Family
Aizoaceae
Botanical Name
LAMPRANTHUS aurantiacus
Plant Common Name
Orange Ice Plant
Special Notice
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
General Description
With a carpet of fleshy, gray-green leaves, trailing ice plant becomes splendidly colorful with many daisy-like blossoms from late winter to spring. A tender perennial with a spreading habit and upright stems, it is a succulent native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa, being tolerant of light frosts. The small, juicy, and wax-like, tubular leaves are green that are both phantom-spotted and tipped in gray. Starting in midwinter and continuing into the spring the many orange flowers open to attract bees. Surrounding a yellow center disc, each flower has hundreds of short orange petals, resembling plump small daisies.
Grow orange ice plant in a very fast draining soil that is average to nutritionally poor, high in sand content. Full sun is best for growth and flowering, but being a native to semi-deserts, it will need partial shade from hottest afternoon summer sun in hot arid desert gardens. After flowering, cut off the developing seed capsules to encourage denser foliage. It is a great groundcover for a succulent garden or rockery, and in cold regions can be used as either a bedding annual or container plant in spots that are sunny and very well-drained. Of course, also consider using it as a carpeting on a bank or gentle hillside near the beach.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
12 - 10
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USDA Hardiness Zone
9 - 15
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Sunset Zone
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Cactus or Succulent
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun
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Height
10"-16" / 25.4cm - 40.6cm
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Width
3'-12' / 0.9m - 3.7m
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Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Winter, Late Winter
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Native To
South Africa
Special Characteristics
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Usage
Bedding Plant, Container, Groundcover, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
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Sharp or Has Thorns
No
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Invasive
No
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Self-Sowing
Yes
