Sour Fig

Sour Fig is another beautiful plant that is unjustly reviled by conservationists. Acrylics and coloured pencil on paper – 24 x 32 cm

£350.00

Here is my painting of Sour Fig (Carpobrotus edulis), also known as ice plant, and previously as Hottentot fig (now considered a racist epithet). It is a plant that is causing widespread dismay in parts of the world where it has been introduced without any natural predation. It belongs to the plant family Aizoaceae, the fig-marigolds.

Sour Fig removal

Sour Fig was introduced to many unsuitable habitats because it was believed to be useful in fixing dunes. It is ironic that it has the reverse effect, causing landslips and erosion. Conservationists spend a lot of time and money removing tons of the plant from dunes and other coastal locations, citing Sour Fig’s problematic tendency to destroy biodiversity. It is expected that local species will colonise areas once the Sour Fig is removed.

There are two problems associated with this. The first is that the unfortunate Sour Fig is often being removed from thin soil that will be rapidly eroded by the wind without a covering of plant material. If native flora is absent because of Sour Fig, it will take more work to recover habitat than merely pulling up the invader.

This leads me to the second problem, one I have explored in other painting notes, namely that inviting foreign natives to our shores and then attacking them when they make a home here does not sit well with me. Sour fig needs to be controlled, there is little doubt of that, but it needs to be carried out thoughtfully and carefully, otherwise our attitude belongs to the same dubious behaviour that has led to ‘balsam bashing’, with all its unpleasant racist undertones.

More uses for Sour Fig

Sour Fig is a beautiful plant, the fleshy leaves turn scarlet from cold and wind, and the flowers attract pollinators of all kinds. It also has a role as a soil improver (it is able to sequester heavy metals) that seems to be barely explored. In the Channel Islands, Sour Fig has taken to covering the ugly concrete bunkers built by Nazi slave labour. Conservationists are removing it from the bunkers too. I know which invader I prefer.

In its native South Africa, the fruit is used to make a tart preserve (I would love to taste this recipe) and as a natural antibacterial.

You might also be interested in this painting of another ‘invader’, Himalayan Balsam, or this Wild Rose.