Newsletters


Issue Number #32
Issue Date Winter 2005
Number of Articles Online 1 Articles
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Title Feature Plant - Ice Plant or Native Spinach

If you have a challenging coastal site exposed to wind and salt spray then this is the groundcover for you!

Tetragonia implexicoma, or native spinach, is a creeping succulent with glistening diamond shaped leaves, small yellow flowers and orange-black berries.

Also known as Warrigal Greens, it was introduced to Europe in the 1820's, and is one of our earliest exports of bush tucker plants. The leaves are a pleasant substitute for spinach, and the edible summer-ripening fruit can also be used as a dye.

It's a Penguin friendly plant, creating a natural beach umbrella effect as it scrambles over rocks and fallen branches.

Propagation is either from the dried fruit, or for quicker results, from tip cuttings taken in January-February, which like most succulents, grow easily. Once roots have developed, tetragonia spreads rapidly making it an ideal coloniser plant for dry disturbed sites.


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