Tetragonia tetragonoides New Zealand Spinach PFAF Plant Database

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Tetragonia tetragonoides - (Pall.)Kuntze.

Common Name

New Zealand Spinach

Family

Aizoaceae

Synonyms

T. expansa. Murray.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Coastal sand dunes and stony beaches on North South and Stewart Islands of New Zealand[44]. Sheltered beaches, salt marshes and arid plains in Australia[193].

Range

Australia to New Zealand.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

Tetragonia tetragonoides is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from Aug to October, and the seeds ripen from Sep to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)

Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats
Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves. Edible Uses: Leaves - raw or cooked. A spinach substitute[183], the shoot tips are harvested when about 8cm long, this encourages plenty of side growth with lots more shoots to harvest[264]. A delicious substitute for spinach, the very young leaves and shoots can also be eaten raw in salads[193, 264]. The young leaves are best, older leaves developing an acrid taste.

Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. None known

Other Uses
None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in the garden[193], it prefers a light soil in a sunny position[16, 37] and thrives in dry soils[33]. It grows best in a good rich soil[1]. Once established, the plants tolerate drought[200]. Plants are very tolerant of hot, dry conditions but cannot tolerate frost[200]. Although very drought tolerant, the plants produce a better quality crop if they are given some water in dry weather[264]. New Zealand spinach is occasionally cultivated in gardens for its edible leaves, it is an excellent spinach substitute for hot dry weather conditions[183]. 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[264]. In the Tropics it is occasionally cultivated in the cool season as a spinach[264].

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[33]. 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[33, 200].

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Expert comment

Author
(Pall.)Kuntze.

Botanical References
44200

Links / References

[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956

Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[16]Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook.

A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[33]Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.

Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[37]Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant.

Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[44]Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand.

The standard work, in 3 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[193]Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia.

Well presented, clear information and good photographs. An interesting read for the casual reader as well as the enthusiast

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[264]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables

Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.

Readers comment

Elizabeth H.
John Comrie-Greig	Wed Nov 24 00:18:56 2004

The specific name "tetragonoides" is misspelt.

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