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Malephora crocea
Also called Crocea Iceplant, Copper Fingerfig, Copper Vygie, Coppery Mesembryanthemum, Fingerkanna, Coppery Ice Plant
Coppery mesemb (Malephora crocea) is a low, spreading succulent perennial from southern Africa, grown for its bright red, orange and yellow flowers and its ability to root wherever its stems touch soil. It is easy to grow in full sun and well-drained soil.
Malephora crocea is a species of succulent perennial flowering plant in the ice plant family known by the common names 'coppery mesemb' and 'red ice plant'.
Despite its potential for mismanagement—albeit in the wrong hands—, M. crocea is still quite popular outside of its native range for its visual appeal and floral impact, and general ease of care. It is especially recommended in wildfire-prone regions of California due to its foliar "succulence", hence the plants low rate of flammability. The water-storing foliage may aid as a firebreak plant in the event of burning, wildfire or otherwise, especially when planted densely with other succulent species.
It is native to Southern Africa but is grown in many other regions of the world, primarily as an ornamental plant, but also as a fireproof groundcover. In parts of Southern California, and further south into Mexico's Baja California and Baja California Sur states, Malephora crocea is a non-native, introduced species, originally planted as highway landscaping in areas of low rainfall, and for early railroad track reinforcement, in the late 1800s. However, due to the many climatic similarities between the Baja California peninsula, Southern California and its native Southern Africa, the species has long been established, and now reseeds prolifically. It will even re-grow from undisturbed rootstock in the springtime.
Gross Fingerfig · Malephora engleriana · Malephora flavocrocea · Malephora framesii · Malephora herrei · Malephora latipetala · Golden Fingerfig · Malephora luteola · Malephora mollis · Malephora ochracea · Malephora pienaarii · Carmine Fingerfig
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Malephora crocea 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.
