Oh my. That wasn't even in my initial research. It was frustrating since at times all i could see online were the flowers. That was a great clue. The growth pattern/ habit was confusing me, it didn't look like any of the previous genera i mentioned. It does look similar to that of corpuscularia. I was leaning towards delosperma and when i researched the names you gave me, i found out they were from the same subfamily and tribe, if not interchangeable or synonyms of each other. Difference i could see was that delosperma are papillate and mine has very smooth almost satiny leaves, a feature of corpuscularia. However, most of the Corpuscularia or Delosperma lehmannii in google images really had plump/ chubby and compact leaves. There were a few long-leaved ones but then they have reddish stalks and mine doesn't (though that could just be due to different growing conditions). The longest leaves on my plant are 1.5 inches or 4cm and the stalks have papery sheaths. Thank you so much for that info rosemarie. I guess i'll treat it as a corpuscularia for the time being.

You may be right, I'm coming at this with bifocals! It was right under the other Pep pic, which probably influenced my challenged vision and made me assume it was a close-up of the pic above it. Looking again, it's much fatter where it meets the stem, which would be unusual for a Pep bloom, from those I've seen, but would fit with emerging Philo leaf. The leaf looks roundish and has some damage, a pic of the whole plant would be great. ;)

To answer your question about the Virginia creeper.....the sap contains calcium oxalate crystals which can cause reactions in sensitive people. It's advised, at the very least, that one should avoid touching their eyes and face after handling the vine. The berries are poisonous to humans, but birds and other animals use it as a food source.

Thanks for the help! Wish the oak wasn't growing through a mature tree, I'd much rather have it than a crepe myrtle. I was hoping you guys would tell me the privet was a carolina laurel so I could justify keeping it. Time to break out the loppers...