Carpobrotis rossii

Botanical Name: Carpobrotus rossii
Common Name: Native pigface
Family:  Aizoaceae

Size:  1 – 2m wide
Leaves: 3.5 – 10 cm long, green, fleshy and succulent, with a triangular cross-section
Flowers: Showy, pink/purple, 6 cm diameter, with massed cream stamens in the centre.  Often appear in a massed display
Flowering Time: Spring - Summer
Fruit: Globular purplish-red fruit about 2.5 cm long x 1.5 cm wide.

Habitat/distribution: Often found as a groundcover on dunes or rocky outcrops near the Tasmanian coast, where it grows well because of its hardiness and salt tolerance.  Also, in S.A. and Vic.
Where to See: Widely sighted around Tasmania’s coastline including its off-shore islands and the Furneaux Group.
Other notes: The fruit was an important indigenous food, as were the succulent leaves which have a salty taste.