A short-lived perennial succulent from South Africa that grows from an underground caudex, with fingerlike gray-green leaves and a single large flower. It is invasive in parts of coastal California and is best grown outdoors in mild, dry climates.
Family
Aizoaceae (Ice-plant family)
Grows as
Succulent, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly, letting the soil dry out fully between waterings.
Soil
Sandy, fast-draining soil or cactus mix.
Temperature
15–30 °C; protect below 5 °C
How easy
Easy
Native range
SW. Cape Prov.
Climate
subtropical
About
Conicosia pugioniformis is a species of succulent plant in the ice plant family known by the common names narrow-leaved iceplant and pigroot. It is native to South Africa and it is known on other continents as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It is an invasive species on the Central Coast of California, where it is a minor threat to native coastal vegetation, although not as harmful as other species of invasive iceplant. This is a short-lived perennial herb growing from an underground caudex. It can sprout vegetatively from the caudex if its aboveground parts are destroyed. The fingerlike leaves are fleshy, gray-green, hairless, and up to 20 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a solitary, malodorous flower up to 8 centimeters wide. It has rings of up to 250 thin petals.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Conicosia pugioniformis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.