Family
Aizoaceae
Botanical Name
LAMPRANTHUS productus
Plant Common Name
Purple Ice Plant
Special Notice
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
General Description
With a carpet of fleshy, blue-gray leaves, purple ice plant becomes splendidly colorful with many daisy-like violet-purple blossoms from early winter to spring. A tender perennial with a sprawling habit, it is a succulent native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa, being tolerant of light frosts. The juicy and wax-like leaves are grayish green to bluish green and look like small baby's fingers with occasional bronzed tips and stems. In early winter a profuse, foliage-masking display of flowers begins, lasting into spring. The small flowers have a small central yellow disc surrounded by long, lance-shaped, violet-purple daisies. From a distance you'd think you've come across a chrysanthemum. There are occasional spurts of flowering year 'round, especially if seed capsules are removed.
Grow purple 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 coastal semi-deserts, it will need partial shade from hottest afternoon summer sun in hot arid desert gardens. It is a great groundcover for a succulent garden, rockery, or seaside landscape 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 utilizing it in a succulent hanging basket or as a massive, hillside groundcover.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
12 - 8
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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
12"-15" / 30.5cm - 38.1cm
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Width
18"-24" / 45.7cm - 61.0cm
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Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Early Winter, Winter, Late Winter
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Native To
South Africa
Growing Conditions
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Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
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Soil Drainage
Well Drained
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Soil type
Sand
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Tolerances
Drought, Salt
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Growth Rate
Medium
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Water Requirements
Xeric/Desert, Drought Tolerant
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Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
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Seasonal Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Special Characteristics
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Usage
Bedding Plant, Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Mixed Border, 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
