Flowers and leaves. Photo: John Tann, Gerroa, NSW

Flowers and leaves. Photo: Don Wood, south coast, NSW

Leaves and young fruiting bodies. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plant. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

New Zealand Spinach, Native Spinach, Warrigal Greens, Warragul Cabbage

Family

Aizoaceae

Notes

Annual or short lived perennial forb, prostrate, rarely erect.  Stems succulent when young.  Leaves somewhat succulent, 2-10cm long, to 50mm wide, flat, alternating along the stem or almost opposite each other on the stem, warty, hairless.  Flowers with 4-5 'petals', green to yellow, borne singly or in pairs at the bases of the leaves. Fruit at first green and succulent but becoming hard, 4-6 angled or winged.

Differs from Tetragonia moorei in that the flowers have 8-24 stamens, and the wings on the fruiting body point straight up or diverge.

Differs from Tetragonia eremaea in that the fruiting bodies are 8-15mm in diameter.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 296

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Tetragonia~tetragonioides