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Tetragonia tetragonoides
  • New Zealand Spinach

a perennial evergreen member of the Tetragonia genus in the family Aizoaceae.

Niche
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    The ecosystem niches for this plant are unknown. Do you know them? Click the edit button to add them!
Functions
  • None
    None
    There are no functions defined for this plant. Do you know of some? Click the edit button to add them!
Light
  • Full sun
    Full sun
    The amount of sun exposure that a plant prefers in ideal conditions.
    Key
  • no shade
    No shade
    The amount of shade a plant will tolerate without adverse health affects.
    Key
Water
  • Water Requirementsmoderate
    Moderate
    The amount of water a plant needs for healthy growth, relative to other plants.
    Key
Soil
  • acid,neutral,alkaline
    Acid to Alkaline
    The PH range (acidity or alkilinity) of the growth medium ideal for healthy nutrient absorbtion.
    Key
  • Sandy to Loamy
    The soil texture this plant prefers for optimal growth.
    Key
Cold & Heat
  • 9
    Zone 9
    The USDA Hardiness scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the minimum temperature a plant can survive.
    Key
    0< -53.9ºC< -65ºF
    1-51.1ºC-60ºF
    2-45.6ºC-50F
    3-40ºC-40ºF
    4-34.4ºC-30ºF
    5-28.9ºC-20ºF
    6-23.3ºC-10ºF
    7-17.8ºC0ºF
    8-12.2C10ºF
    9-6.7ºC20ºF
    10-1.1ºC30ºF
    114.4ºC40ºF
    12> 10ºC> 5ºF
  • ?
    Unknown
    The AHS Heat scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the number of days per year a plant requires a temperature exceeding 30ºC (86ºF).
    Key
    11
    21 - 7
    38 - 14
    415 - 30
    531 - 45
    646 - 60
    761 - 90
    891 - 120
    9121 - 150
    10151 - 180
    11181 - 210
    12181 - 210
Tetragonia tetragonoides has 0 edible uses listed

Uses

Edible uses

Notes

Leaves - raw or cooked. A spinach substitute[1], the shoot tips are harvested when about 8cm long, this encourages plenty of side growth with lots more shoots to harvest[2]. A delicious substitute for spinach, the very young leaves and shoots can also be eaten raw in salads[3][2]. The young leaves are best, older leaves developing an acrid taste.

Leaves

Unknown use

Material uses

There are no material uses listed for Tetragonia tetragonoides.

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

There are no medicinal uses listed for Tetragonia tetragonoides.

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Nothing listed.

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

Seed - sow early to mid spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frost[4].

Seed can also be sown in situ in late spring, though this will not generally make such good plants[33, K].

The seed can be slow to germinate, soaking in warm water for 24 hours prior to sowing may help[4][5].

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Tetragonia tetragonoides. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.



Cultivation

Easily grown in the garden[3], it prefers a light soil in a sunny position[6][7] and thrives in dry soils[4]. It grows best in a good rich soil[8]. Once established, the plants tolerate drought[5]. Plants are very tolerant of hot, dry conditions but cannot tolerate frost[5]. Although very drought tolerant, the plants produce a better quality crop if they are given some water in dry weather[2]. New Zealand spinach is occasionally cultivated in gardens for its edible leaves, it is an excellent spinach substitute for hot dry weather conditions[1]. A perennial plant in its native habitat, but it is usually killed by the cold in British winters and so is grown as an annual[2]. In the Tropics it is occasionally cultivated in the cool season as a spinach[2].

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Tetragonia tetragonoides. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Tetragonia tetragonoides.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

Taxonomy
Binomial name
Tetragonia tetragonoides
Genus
Tetragonia
Family
Aizoaceae
Imported References
Edible uses
[1][2][3]
Medicinal uses
Material uses & Functions
Botanic
[9][5]
Propagation
Cultivation
Environment
Cultivation
Uses
Edible uses
None listed.
Material uses
None listed.
Medicinal uses
None listed.
Functions & Nature
Functions
Provides forage for
Provides shelter for
Environment
Hardiness Zone
9
Heat Zone
?
Water
moderate
Sun
full sun
Shade
no shade
Soil PH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Soil Texture
sandy, loamy
Soil Water Retention
well drained
Environmental Tolerances
  • Salinity
  • Drought
  • Strong wind
  • Maritime exposure
Ecosystems
Native Climate Zones
None listed.
Adapted Climate Zones
None listed.
Native Geographical Range
None listed.
Native Environment
None listed.
Ecosystem Niche
None listed.
Root Zone Tendancy
None listed.
Life
Deciduous or Evergreen
evergreen
Herbaceous or Woody
?
Life Cycle
perennial
Growth Rate
vigorous
Mature Size
0.2 x 1 meters
Fertility
?
Pollinators
?
Flower Colour
?
Flower Type
hermaphrodite











References

  1. ? 1.01.11.2 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)
  2. ? 2.02.12.22.32.42.5 Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables Macmillan Reference Books, London. ISBN 0 333 62640 0 (1995-00-00)
  3. ? 3.03.13.2 Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. ISBN 0-207-14383-8 (1989-00-00)
  4. ? 4.04.14.2 Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber (1960-00-00)
  5. ? 5.05.15.25.3 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)
  6. ? Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin ISBN 0-14-046-050-0 (1977-00-00)
  7. ? Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. (1878-00-00)
  8. ? F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)
  9. ? Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. (1961-00-00)


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Facts about "Tetragonia tetragonoides"RDF feed
Article is incompleteYes +
Article requires citationsNo +
Article requires cleanupYes +
Belongs to familyAizoaceae +
Belongs to genusTetragonia +
Has common nameNew Zealand Spinach +
Has drought toleranceTolerant +
Has edible partLeaves +
Has edible useUnknown use +
Has environmental toleranceMaritime exposure +, High wind +, Drought + and Salinity +
Has flowers of typeHermaphrodite +
Has growth rateVigorous +
Has hardiness zone9 +
Has lifecycle typePerennial +
Has mature height0.2 +
Has mature width1 +
Has salinity toleranceTolerant +
Has search nametetragonia tetragonoides + and x +
Has shade toleranceNo shade +
Has soil ph preferenceAcid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
Has soil teloamyture preferenceLoamy +
Has soil tesandyture preferenceSandy +
Has soil water retention preferenceWell drained +
Has sun preferenceFull sun +
Has taxonomy nameTetragonia tetragonoides +
Has water requirementsmoderate +
Is deciduous or evergreenEvergreen +
Is taxonomy typeSpecies +
Tolerates maritime exposureYes +
Tolerates nutritionally poor soilNo +
Tolerates windYes +
Uses mature size measurement unitMeters +