Carpobrotus edulis is native to South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It is also known as ice plant

Ice plant

- Plant common names :* Aizoaceae, the ice plant family* Carpobrotus chilensis* Carpobrotus edulis* Conicosia, narrow-leafed ice plants* Delosperma cooperi, Cooper's ice plant* Delosperma bosseranum...

, Highway Ice Plant, Pigface or Hottentot Fig and in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 as the Sour Fig (Suurvy; earlier: Hotnosvy), on account of its edible fruit.

It was previously classified in genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Mesembryanthemum

Mesembryanthemum

Mesembryanthemum is a genus of plants native to southern Africa. Many species which were formerly placed herein have since been moved into other genera such as Carpobrotus Sceletium is sometimes included here....

and is sometimes referred to by this name.
Carpobrotus edulis is a creeping, mat-forming succulent species and member of the Stone Plant family Aizoaceae

Aizoaceae

The Family Aizoaceae or Ficoidaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1900 species. They are commonly known as stone plants or carpet weeds. Species that resemble stones or pebbles are sometimes called mesembs...

, one of about 30 species in the genus Carpobrotus

Carpobrotus

Carpobrotus is a genus of ground-creeping plants, with succulent leaves and large daisy-like flowers. The name refers to the edible fruits. It comes from the Greek "karpos" and "brota" .There are about 25 species in this genus, having a disperse distribution worldwide...

.

Carpobrotus edulis is easily confused with its close relative, the more diminutive and less aggressive Carpobrotus chilensis

Carpobrotus chilensis

Carpobrotus chilensis is a species of succulent plant known by the common name sea fig. It is probably native to southern Africa but is familiar elsewhere, particularly the coastline of western North America, where it is an invasive introduced species that has taken hold and become commonplace. It...

(sea fig), and the two species hybridize readily throughout their ranges in California.