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groundcover

Trailing ice plant

Delosperma cooperi

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 46°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -18°C

Waterlogging tolerance

1/5

Drought tolerance

5/5

Mature size

0.1–0.15 m tall, 0.6 m spread

Seasonal interest

Summer to autumn · Magenta

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 3/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Rots in shade or winter-wet soil.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Delosperma cooperi (Hook.fil.) L.Bolus
Family
Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 9376410

Recorded native range: Free State

Recorded as introduced in: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Flemish Region, France, Great Britain, Italy, Romania, Spain

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Delosperma cooperi (syn. Mesembryanthemum cooperi), the trailing iceplant, hardy iceplant or pink carpet, is a dwarf perennial plant native to South Africa. It forms a dense lawn with abundant, long-lasting flowers. It reaches sizes of approximately 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tall, with fleshy leaves that are linear and simple and can grow up to 1.5 inches long and a trailing stem that hangs down. These fleshy roots help provide the ability for the plants to recover and grow rapidly if a disturbance has occurred.

Description from Wikipedia — Delosperma cooperi (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: climate-suitable
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.