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This appears to be a weed, as hundreds have popped up all over a backyard at a client's home. Any idea of what it is? Found in San Diego, California, USA.

Yewge
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A. Benson
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  • Have you checked the yards next door for a larger version? – Wayfaring Stranger Feb 25 '17 at 20:16
  • I've not had the chance to get hands-on with the flora of California, so a bit of a gues to start the ball rolling. The family *Crassulaceae* would seem likely. A little more hesitantly I would suggest *Crassula*, *Sedum* and *Kalenchoe* as possible genera. Even if (perhaps especially if) one of these genera are correct, you wouldn't be able to get a positive ID without seeing an adult plant, preferably in flower as species can be hard to differentiate and individuals within a species quite variable. If there are large numbers cropping up, then it is likely their parent is nearby. – George of all trades Feb 25 '17 at 21:01

2 Answers2

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This is Ice Plant (Lampranthus blandus).

More at Garden.org

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Brenn
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  • It certainly looks right, though it is native to South Africa. Is it known to naturalise/become invasive in California (I can't see why not)? – George of all trades Mar 01 '17 at 10:30
  • I'm not familiar with that genus at all (nor the flora of California), but looks like a possibility to me, too. It's not documented from California (http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Lampranthus), although that's not to say it's not there. I'd highly recommend taking some of it to the herbarium at San Diego State and see what they have to say. If it really is this species and spreading readily, you might be able to help it from becoming a larger problem. – Yewge Mar 02 '17 at 00:57
  • I know that many species from Lampranthus grow like weeds here. They plant them everywhere. – jkd Mar 15 '17 at 07:27
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This is NOT Lampranthus blandus but Oscularia deltoides (Aizoaceae) from South Africa. It was formerly classified as Lampranthus deltoides.

Based on data in the iNaturalist site, there have been six sightings of this plant in California, all along the coast. It is a garden-escapee.

Jurp
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Cristóbal Sánchez
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    Note that CalFlora does not include this genus as an invasive or common weed. The USDA's Plant Finder also does not recognize this genus. Occam's razor dictates that this is therefore not a correct ID (also, IMO, the leaves in your link do not match the leaves in the photo, although it could be a different member of that genus, I suppose). – Jurp Jan 08 '21 at 21:03
  • The databases you mention are seriously out of date. The species name is valid according to [KEW's Plants Of The World 2020](http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:363876-1) and is also listed in The International Plant Names Index 2021, PlantList and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (under maintenance). There are also plenty [records](https://www.naturalista.mx/observations?place_id=14&taxon_id=60329) of _Oscularia_ in Californa at iNaturalist – Cristóbal Sánchez Jan 11 '21 at 18:59
  • Sanchez - I'm not saying that the species name isn't correct, just that Oscularia deltoides that neither USDA nor Calflora list it under its old name of Lampranthus deltoides, either. The site you link to yourself doesn't show it in the US. A plant ID is very, VERY suspect if there is no record of that plant in the country in which the unknown plant is found. Since you know of such a source, a link to the iNaturalist page should be in the answer in order to lend credibility. I've added it for you., along with other necessary information. – Jurp Jan 11 '21 at 20:05