Carpobrotus chilensis

Native to central and south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, this mat-forming perennial succulent has trailing stems and thick, three-sided leaves. Rose to magenta flowers open in the morning and close at night. Stems root where they touch the ground, allowing plants to spread into broad, dense mats. It has escaped cultivation and is invasive along the California coast, where it spreads across dunes and coastal bluffs and competes with native vegetation. It also hybridizes there with Carpobrotus edulis. Photographed in Lima, Peru.