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Carpobrotus edulis is native to South Africa. It is also known as Hottentot-fig, ice plant, highway ice plant or pigface and in South Africa as the sour fig (suurvy; earlier: hotnotsvy), on account of its edible fruit.
The genus name, Carpobrotus, is derived from the Greek karpos "fruit" and brotos "edible", the fruits of some species being edible.
It was previously classified in Mesembryanthemum and is sometimes referred to by this name: Mesembryanthemum edule.