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Thursday 29 August 2013

FFF93 - ICE PLANT

Aptenia cordifolia is a species of succulent plant in the ice plant family known by the common names heartleaf ice plant and baby sun rose. Perhaps the most common plant seen under this name is actually Aptenia 'Red Apple', a hybrid with red flowers and bright green leaves, whose parents are A. cordifolia and A. (Platythyra) haeckeliana. The true species of A. cordifolia has magenta purple flowers and more heart-shaped, mid-green, textured leaves.

Native to southern Africa, this species has become widely known as an ornamental plant. It is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in flat clumps on the ground from a woody base. Stems reach up to about 60 centimetres long. The bright green leaves are generally heart-shaped and up to 3 centimetres long. They are covered in very fine bumps. Bright pink to purplish flowers appear in the leaf axils and are open during the day. The fruit is a capsule just over a centimetre long.

The hybrid, Aptenia 'Red Apple', has, in some areas, escaped cultivation and now grows as an introduced species. Its far more vigorous growth and ability to root from small bits of stem makes it a poor choice for planting adjacent to wild lands as it can overwhelm native plants.

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9 comments:

  1. Very pretty. I love the colour.

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  2. The leaves of this iceplant look very cared for. The ones I mostly see are faded color, or even burnt! I like that this plant has flowers in several colors

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  3. looking very pretty but it's such a shame to see so many non-indigenous species escaping into the bushland. I made a post dedicated to this recently...

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  4. I love the green fatty leaves. ;D Happy Friday!

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  5. Beautiful ... Love succulents, they are so colourful and rich in their forms.
    Thank you for this Post.

    Cheers, Heidrun in Augsburg, Germany

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  6. Hello again....
    amazing little blossoms, love the color!
    Wish you a nice weekend,
    moni

    Thanks if you visit my blog
    http://www.reflexionblog.de

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  7. Wow! What a beautiful flower shot!

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  8. Oh, that photo brings back my childhood memories! My mother grew this plant at the garden. Non-fussy and easy to maintain plant. I loved the color combination. Happy weekend :)

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