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Bower Spinach

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Bower Spinach photos

Scientific Name: Tetragonia implexicoma

Bower Spinach flower
Bower Spinach flower
Photo: A J Brown

Status:

Native to Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.

Plant Description:

Prostrate, trailing or climbing plant with branches to 3 m long or more and sometimes forming mounds. Leaves are rhombic to angular-
ovate, 1.5-6 cm long and 0.8-4 cm wide, papillose (pimple-like covering) and semi-succulent.

Flowers are strongly scented, solitary or rarely paired, and on stalks 5-30 mm long. Perianth segments (flower-like bracts) are 4 in number, shortly incurved at the apex, yellow on the inside and densely hairy outside. Flowering from August to November. Fruit are succulent orange-red berries which ripen to near black.

Habitat:

Common along the coastline on cliffs, sand dunes and in foreshore scrub but occasionally extending inland along tidal or brackish waterways.


RegionSalinity ClassWaterlogging Class
*Western, *GippslandS0, S1, S2, S3W0, W1, W2
*mainly confined to coastal environments

Comments:

Bower Spinach is in the Pigface family (Aizoaceae) but has dissimilar flowers. Differs from New Zealand Spinach by its 4 perianth segments (instead of 5), its yellow flowers and succulent fruit. Used as a valuable leaf vegetable by indigenous Australians and by early European sailors and settlers as a source of vitamin C to ward off scurvy. The berries were used as a source of red dye.

Bower Spinach photos


Bower Spinach leaf edge
Bower Spinach leaf edge
Photo: A J Brown
Bower Spinach leaves and flowers
Bower Spinach leaves and flowers
Photo: A J Brown

Bower Spinach plant
Bower Spinach plant
Photo: A J Brown

Bower Spinach scramble
Scrambling Bower Spinach plant
Photo: A J Brown

Bower Spinach leaves and stems
Bower Spinach leaves and stems
Photo: A J Brown

Ripe berry of Bower spinach
Ripe berry of Bower Spinach
Photo: A J Brown
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