Photo of Crystalline Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)
Crystalline ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) is an invasive plant with a low-growing habit that outcompetes even taller vegetation in Mediterranean California through mechanisms such as inhibiting seed germination and increasing the soil's surface salinity. It is shallow-rooted, so its dominance leads to dead zones with large areas of exposed soil, creating an erosion problem on slopes like pictured here. The native vegetation on slopes like this would be dense chaparral several feet in height, with deep roots that stabilize the soil.
