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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aizoaceae (Ice Plants) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Pink |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Fragrant Flowers: Yes |
| Synonyms: [Lampranthus deltoides] |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Oscularia deltoides (Pink Iceplant) – Low growing gray succulent shrublet from the South-Western Cape of South Africa. This plant smothers the ground 6 inches to 1 foot tall by 2 to 3 feet wide with wiry dark pink stems and blue-green 3-angled fleshy leaves that have small, often reddish teeth. In spring into summer appear the small lightly-fragrant yellow-centered lavender-pink flowers that are closed up in the morning but open, often to cover the plant, in the afternoon. Plant in full sun to light shade in a fairly well-drained soil and irrigate little to regularly; plants well watered in full sun are more plump and make a denser planting while those less watered can take on reddish hues in the summer and in too much shade are a bit sparse and bloom less. Hardy down to around 18 °F and maybe a bit less for short durations – listed by most as hardy to USDA zone 8b. As with many iceplants this plant provides a stunning show when in full bloom and the interesting foliage makes it an attractive plant year-round. Ideal for slopes, borders or containers. This plant grows only on sandstone rocks in its native range, which extends along low mountainous regions from Ceres to George just to the north of the Cape Peninsula in south Africa. The name Oscularia is Latin from the word 'osculum' meaning "little mouth" with 'oscularia' meaning "a collection of little mouths" in reference to the way the leaves appear as open mouths (teeth and all). The specific epithet comes from the Latin word for triangular in reference to the 3 angled leaves. According to the Plant List the correct name for this plant is now considered to be Lampranthus deltoides but we continue to list it as Oscularia until such time that this name gains broader acceptance or the name gets changed back. It was listed as Oscularia deltoides in Heidrun Hartmann's treatment of the genus in Handbook of Succulent Plants: Aizoaceae written in 2001.
This information about Oscularia deltoides displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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