Practical
Plants

Tetragonia tetragonoides

New Zealand Spinach

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

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Aizoaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.2 m
Spread
1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked. A spinach substitute[3], the shoot tips are harvested when about 8cm long, this encourages plenty of side growth with lots more shoots to harvest[6]. A delicious substitute for spinach, the very young leaves and shoots can also be eaten raw in salads[4][6]. The young leaves are best, older leaves developing an acrid taste.

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
Australia to New Zealand.
Habitat
Coastal sand dunes and stony beaches on North South and Stewart Islands of New Zealand[9]. Sheltered beaches, salt marshes and arid plains in Australia[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure, drought
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[7]. 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[7][5].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Easily grown in the garden[4], it prefers a light soil in a sunny position[2][8] and thrives in dry soils[7]. It grows best in a good rich soil[1]. 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[6]. New Zealand spinach is occasionally cultivated in gardens for its edible leaves, it is an excellent spinach substitute for hot dry weather conditions[3]. 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[6]. In the Tropics it is occasionally cultivated in the cool season as a spinach[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0

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  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  4. Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-207-14383-8

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables Macmillan Reference Books, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0 333 62640 0

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  7. Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00

    ↩

  9. Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00

    ↩

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