Karkalla confusion

THE POPULAR BUSH TUCKER GROUNDCOVER IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT IT SEEMS — THERE ARE PRETTY PRETENDERS

Kerry Boyne

Where I live in coastal New South Wales, the pink-flowering succulent Carpobrotus is everywhere. It grows wild in the local cemetery, has been planted by council in the sand dunes and is ubiquitous in home gardens. It’s possibly the most popular groundcover in the region and is usually automatically considered a native, also known as karkalla or pigface. However, the karkalla/pigface you are looking at may not be a native. Of the approximately 25 species of Carpobrotus worldwide, six grow commonly in Australia and they mostly look similar. Four of the six are endemic to Australia while the others originate mainly from Africa and South America. When my partner and I started planting a new garden, for a point of difference we decided to opt for the native variety C. rossii…

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Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, 15.6

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