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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Disphyma crassifolium

Citation: L. Bolus, Fl. Pl.S.Afr. 7:t. 276 (1927) subsp. clavellatum (Haw.)Chinn.*

Synonymy: Mesembryanthemum crassifolium L., Sp. Pl. 484 (1753), partly; M. clavellatum Haw., Misc. Nat. 79 (1803); D. clavellatum (Haw.)Chinn., New Zealand J. Bot. 14:78 (1976); D. australe sensu J. Black, Fl. S. Aust. 339 (1948), non (Aiton)J. Black; D. blackii Chinn., New Zealand J. Bot. 9:338 (1971).

Common name: Round-leaved pigface, (rounded) noon-flower.

Description:
Stems prostrate, to 1 m or more long; leaves often clustered along the stems, virtually smooth except on papillose margins and keel, green-tinged reddish or red, usually 2-3 cm long; peduncles usually 2-8 cm long, very rarely 0, terminating short branches.

Flowers 2-5 cm diam.; ovary obconical, c. 5 mm long; perianth lobes to c. 2 cm long, the larger ones fleshy and enlarging in fruit.

Fruit 5-12 mm diam.; valves at first red and succulent, becoming dry and hardened; seeds 0.9-1 mm long, almost smooth or papillose.

Published illustration: Rotherham et al. (1975) Flowers and plants of New South Wales and southern Queensland, fig. 453; Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 292.

Distribution:  Occurs along the coast or in other saline areas.

  W.Aust.; Qld; N.S.W.; Vic.; Tas.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: Oct. — Feb.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: D. crassifolium subsp. crassifolium occurs in South Africa. D. australe (Aiton)J. Black (= Mesembryanthemum australe Aiton) has been shown by Chinnock (1971) to be confined to New Zealand.

Taxonomic notes: *This contribution has been made by R. J. Chinnock, State Herbarium of South Australia: Disphyma crassifolium (L.)L. Bolus subsp. clavellatum (Haw.)Chinn., comb. nov. Basionym: Mesembryanthernum clavellatum Haw., Misc. Nat. 79 (1803). The greater variation in seed characters of D. clavellatum than originally thought (Chinnock, 1971) falls within the limits of the African species, D. crassifolium, and the other differences between the Australian and African populations are only considered to be subspecific.

Author: Not yet available


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