Tetragonia tetragonoides

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Aizoaceae

Herbs, annual or perennial , subshrubs , or shrubs , succulent. Stems erect or prostrate . Leaves simple , rarely pinnate, mostly opposite, sometimes alternate, in many species fleshy , margin entire, rarely with teeth; true stipules absent, sometimes a stipule-like sheath present at base of petiole . Inflorescences terminal or seemingly axillary cymes, or solitary flowers. Flowers bisexual , rarely unisexual , actinomorphic , perigynous or epigynous . Nectaries separate or in a ring around ovary. Tepals (4 or) 5( 8), connate below into a tube . Petals absent or present. Stamens 3 to many, free or connate at base, outermost often as filamentous staminodes; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior, syncarpous ; carpels 2 to many; ovules 1 to many, on long funicles , mostly campylotropous; placentation axile or parietal , sometimes basal-parietal. Stigmas as many as carpels. Fruit a hygroscopic or circumscissile capsule, more rarely a berry or nut. Seeds with slender embryo curved around perisperm , rarely with an aril; endosperm scanty or absent.

About 135 genera and 1800 species: mainly in arid , subtropical regions, most species in S Africa, some in Australia and W parts of the Americas, some pantropical ; three genera and three species in China.

The family is divided into five subfamilies, of which two, Sesuvioideae and Tetragonioideae, are represented by native species in China.

Many members of the subfamilies Mesembryanthemoideae and Ruschioideae are ornamentals and are in cultivation worldwide. Until the early 20th century, these were nearly all included in the genus Mesembryanthemum. Since then, the majority of the members of that genus has been placed in a great number of smaller genera. Five species have been recorded as cultivated in China: Aptenia cordifolia (Linnaeus f.) Schwantes, Carpobrotus edulis (Linnaeus) L. Bolus, Glottiphyllum longum (Haworth) N. E. Brown, Lampranthus spectabilis (Haworth) N. E. Brown, and Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Linnaeus. Further species are likely to be introduced into China.

Tetragonia, together with the genus Tetragonocarpus, is sometimes treated as an independent family, the Tetragoniaceae. Sesuvium and Trianthema, together with Cypselea Turpin and Zaleya N. L. Burman, are sometimes treated as a separate family, the Sesuviaceae.[1]

Genus Tetragonia

Herbs [subshrubs ], annual or perennial , succulent, glabrous , pilose , or papillate . Roots fibrous . Stems prostrate [subscandent], semiwoody at base . Leaves cauline, alternate, usually petioled; stipules absent; blade flat, margins entire to slightly sinuate or shallowly lobed . Inflorescences: axillary clusters of 2-3 flowers or flowers solitary, sessile or peduncled; bracts absent. Flowers bisexual or unisexual , inconspicuous, 5[-10] mm diam.; calyx campanulate , adnate to ovary, angled , winged , or horned; calyx lobes [3-]4-5[-7], green or yellow adaxially; petals and petaloid staminodia absent; nectary absent; stamens 1-20, perigynous; pistil 3-10-carpellate; ovary inferior [half inferior], [1-]3-10-loculed; placentation apical; ovule 1 per locule; styles 3-10; stigmas 3-10. Fruits nutlike [drupaceous ], angled, indehiscent; horns [2-]4-6[-7]. Seeds 1-10, light brown, ± reniform , arils absent.

Species 60: introduced ; South America, e Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia.[2]

Physical Description

Biology

Growth

Culture: Space 24-36" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Taxonomy

Notes

An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Tetragonia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 3 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

T. tetragonioides (New Zealand Spinach) · T. tetragonoides (New Zealand Spinach) · T. trigyna (Kokihi Beach Spinach)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Flora of Japan: in English: combined, much revised and extended translation / by the author of his Flora of Japan (1953) and Flora of Japan, Pteridophyta (1957); edited by Frederick G. Meyer and Egbert H. Walker. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1965. url p. 421.
• Flora of Peru / by J. Francis Macbride; B.E. Dahlgren, editor. 13 1937 Chicago, U.S.A.: Field Museum of Natural History, [1937] url p. 560.
• Seeds handbook for agriculture, horticulture and forestry, with a key for the identification of the important agricultural seeds = Handbuch der Samenkunde für Landwirtschaft, Gartenbau und Forstwirtschaft, mit einem Schlussel zur Bestimmung der wichtigsten landwirtschaftlichen Samen / Walther Brouwen and Adolf Stahlin. [S.l.: s.n.], 1980. url p. 115.
• Lu Dequan. 1996. Aizoaceae (SesuviumTetragonia). In: Tang Changlin, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 26: 3036.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 15, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 31, 2007:

• Australian National Herbarium
• , Australian National Herbarium
• GBIF-Spain, Hortus Botanicus Sollerensis Herbarium
• GBIF-Spain, Jardín Botánico de Córdoba: Herbarium COA
• GBIF-Spain, Universidad de Oviedo. Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas: FCO
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
• , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection
• National Institute of Genetics, ROIS, Herbarium Specimens of Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo Pref., Japan
• Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility, Magnoliophyta
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Herbarium of Oskarshamn
• inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn, inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8555492
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:85916-3
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 896200

Footnotes

1. Dequan Lu & Heidrun E. K. Hartmann "Aizoaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 5 Page 440. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Nancy J. Vivrette "Tetragonia". in Flora of North America Vol. 4 Page 75, 76, 77. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.