Inland Pigface

Inland Pigface photos

Family: Pigface (Aizoaceae)

Scientific Name:

Carpobrotus modestus

Inland Pigface plant
Photo: A J Brown

Status

Native to Australia.

Plant Description:

Perennial succulent with trailing stems to 50 cm long, which often root at the nodes. Leaves opposite, generally 3-7 cm long and 4-9 mm thick (often thicker than wide), glaucous (blue-green with a whitish bloom) but sometimes tinged pink, smooth and triangular with more or less flat (slightly concave) faces and sharp angles.

Flowers are about 2 cm diameter when open and of numerous linear light purple petals which merge to white at their bases. The fruit is fig-like, fleshy and indehiscent, slightly compressed and oblong to ellipsoid in shape, 1.5-2 cm long and purplish in colour. Flowers in spring and summer.

Habitat:

Not uncommon on shallow, rocky or deep sandy soils in Mallee communities of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Also found in western and central districts of Victoria.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Mallee, Loddon Murray, Central and Northern, Wimmera, Western	S0, S1, S2	W0, W1, W2

Comments:

Both the fruit and leaves were used as a food source by indigenous Australians.

Similar to other Pigfaces (see Key to Pigfaces and similar plants). May be confused with Rounded Noon-flower (Disphyma crassifolium subsp. clavellatum) which can grow in the same habitats, but the leaves of the Noon-flower have rounded angles.

A long-leaved Pigface from far north-west Victoria is thought to be either a new undescribed species, a polyploid race of Inland Pigface (Carpobrotus modestus) or a hybrid between other Pigface species. It is most similar to Karkalla and is currently known as Carpobrotus aff. rossii.

Inland Pigface Photos


Flower of Inland Pigface Photo: A J Brown	Inland Pigface flowers Photo: A J Brown

Fruits of Inland Pigface Photo: A J Brown	Developing fruit of Inland Pigface Photo: A J Brown

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