Its common names include hottentot-fig, sour fig, sea fig, ice plant or highway ice plant,
Cape fig, Hottentots fig (Eng.);
ghaukum, ghoenavy, Hottentotsvy, Kaapsevy, perdevy, rankvy, suurvy, vyerank, (Afr.);
ikhambi-lamabulawo, umgongozi (Zulu)
Description
Carpobrotus edulis is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves in the
genus Carpobrotus , native to South Africa. It grows year round, with individual shoot
segments growing more than 1 m (3 ft) per year. It can grow to at least 50 m (165 ft) in
diameter. The leaves are a dull-green or yellow-green colour. They are only very slightly
curved.
Medicinal uses:
The leaf juice is astringent and mildly antiseptic. It is mixed with water and swallowed to
treat diarrhoea, dysentery and stomach cramps, and is used as a gargle to relieve
laryngitis, sore throat and mouth infections. Chewing a leaf tip and swallowing the juice
is enough to ease a sore throat. Leaf juice or a crushed leaf is a famous soothing cure for
blue-bottle stings-being a coastal plant it is luckily often on hand in times of such
emergencies. The leaf juice is used as a soothing lotion for burns, bruises, scrapes, cuts,
grazes and sunburn, ringworm, eczema, dermatitis, herpes, nappy rash, thrush, cold
sores, cracked lips, chafing, skin conditions and allergies. An old and apparently very
powerful remedy for constipation is to eat fruits and then drink brackish water. Syrup made
from the fruit is said to have laxative properties.
A mixture of leaf juice, honey and olive oil in water is an old remedy for TB. The leaf juice also relieves the itch from mosquito, tick and spider bites both for people and their animal companions.
The Khoikhoi took an infusion of the fruits during pregnancy to ensure a strong, healthy baby and an easy birth and smeared
leaf sap over the head of a new-born child to make it nimble and strong. In the Eastern Cape
it is also used to treat diabetes, and diphtheria. (nose and throat infection.)
Fruits are eaten by people and have been since ancient times.
Sour Fig Jam Recipe.
2 cups of Sour Figs (Top and tail them)
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of rooibos tea or water
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Citrus peels for pectin
Place all the ingredients into a pot and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn down the heat
and simmer for half an hour. Pour into sterilized jars and cover.
Ecology:
The flowers are pollinated by solitary bees, honey bees, carpenter bees, and many beetle
species. Leaves are eaten by tortoises. Flowers are eaten by antelopes and baboons. Fruits
are eaten by baboons, rodents, porcupines, antelopes, who also disperse the seeds. The
clumps provide shelter for snails, lizards, and skinks. Puff adders and other snakes, such as
the Cape cobra, are often found in Carpobrotus clumps, where they ambush the small
rodents attracted by the fruits.
Growing Sour Fig
Carpobrotus edulis is easy to grow. It needs well-drained soil, a sunny position and room to
spread. It is an excellent evergreen drought, and wind resistant groundcover that can be
planted on flat, sandy ground, on loose sand dunes, gravelly gardens, lime-rich and brackish
soils as well as in containers, rockeries, embankments and will cascade over terrace walls. It
is relatively shallow-rooting and is a good choice for a roof garden. Very effective when
planted as a groundcover around the house to create a fire-resistant barrier in fire-prone
areas.
Carpobrotus edulis is not frost-hardy and roots easily from cuttings. Take 200-300 mm long tip cuttings during then summer. No rooting hormone or mist unit is required, either plant them where they are intended to grow or directly into a container filled with well drained potting soil. Seed can be sown in spring, early summer or autumn. Seedlings damp off easily and must be grown in pure sand for best results.
High humidity will cause bacterial rot of the leaves. Plants in shady positions or poorly
drained sites are often affected by fungal diseases ( Botrytis ). Snails cause leaf damage in
damp gardens. Plants in old clumps may die back in the centre. Over-fertilizing will cause
wilt and die-back.
Sources:
1. Carpobrotus edulis - Wikipedia
2. Carpobrotus edulis | PlantZAfrica (sanbi.org)
3. Picking sour figs and a recipe for making sour fig jam (munjiri.com)
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