Carpobrotus chilensis

Sea fig

Family: Aizoaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Sea fig is a naturalized shrub found in coastal bioregions including northern California Coast, Central California Coast, southern California Coast, and northern Channel Islands on coastal sandy shores at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering approximately all year, this plant produces pale pink to magenta flowers 2 to 2.5 centimeters long that are sessile and prominently displayed. Growing with sprawling stems up to 2 meters long, it forms dense mats across sandy coastal landscapes. Its thick, fleshy leaves are widest above the middle, with a distinctive bluish-green (glaucous) appearance that helps retain moisture in coastal environments. When ripe, the fruit becomes soft and pulpy, contributing to the plant's successful spread along shoreline habitats.

Habitat: Common on coastal sandy shores

Bloom period: +- all year

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: NCo, CCo, SCo, n ChI

California counties: Ventura, San Francisco, Orange, Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Monterey, Humboldt, Marin, Santa Cruz, Riverside, Mendocino, Alameda, Del Norte, Sonoma

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.