The ice plant , also know as the sea fig , is a species of lush plant originally from South Africa . This plant was first used in the United States to stabilize roadside and riverbanks — and is also popular for landscape app as an ornamental plant , producing bright yellow-bellied or pink heyday . While the plant life has its uses , it does pose a threat to native species , making it unsound for the bionomics of the domain it inhabits .

Areas Affected

In southern and central California , the sparkler plant is a problem and grows along the beach and scrub of the Pacific coast . This plant has also been identified in an separated area within the Redwood National Park .

Species Exclusion

turn quickly , the ice works command surface area where it becomes established . In the process , it out - competes and obviate aboriginal metal money . In particular , the methamphetamine plant displaces three very sensitive works species including Wolf ’s primula , pink sand verbena and beach layia , which is on the federal list of endangered specie . The plant is so invasive , it can importantly shrink the biodiversity within a given country . It also invades areas that have been crystallize by fire quicker than other species .

Dune Development Interference

Because the ice plant grows so prolifically , it can literally continue entire beaches . It also stabilizes sand dunes untimely , prevent the sand from moving freely . This alters the ecosystem , preventing prominent , more protective dunes from form properly . This can lead to corroding behind the dune and more plant coinage being threatened .

Rapid Propagation

The methamphetamine industrial plant grows very quickly , produce prominent , spread out lustrelessness . It flowers prolifically and the germ disburse easily . The works also reproduces vegetatively . Even small piece of the plant break off roots and grows well — making control exceedingly hard .

Eradication

The physical riddance of the ice plant by pulling and mulching is a laborious , time - consuming procedure , that has had limited succeeder , because of needing to remove all fragments of the flora to preclude re - emergence . While glycophosphate - eccentric herbicide do kill the trash works , they can also negatively bear on nearby native mintage . Chlorflurenol has been successfully used to eradicate the ice plant along roadsides . Biological control , such as verticulum wilt can cause significant damage to the ice plant , and recently acquaint scale dirt ball species that feed on the ice industrial plant are also being tried . The relative ineffectuality of these obliteration methods , however , makes the icing plant a continuing problem .

References

…