Plants of
South Australia
Roepera aurantiaca ssp. aurantiaca
Zygophyllaceae
Shrubby Twinleaf
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
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Vulnerable
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
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Oodnadatta
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Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 7

Prior names

Zygophyllum aurantiacum ssp. aurantiacum

Roepera aurantiaca

Zygophyllum fruticulosum var. bilobum

Zygophyllum fruticulosum

Common names

Shrubby Twinleaf

Etymology

Roepera (formally Zygophyllum which is from the Greek 'zygon' meaning pair and 'phyllon' meaning leaf; referring to the pair of leaflets making up each leaf) is named after Johannes August Christian Roeper (1801 -1885), a German botanist and physician. Aurantiaca from the Latin 'aurantiacus' meaning yellow-orange.

Distribution and status

Found across South Australia except on Kangaroo Island and in the South-East, growing in a variety of habitats and on different soils. Also found in all mainland states. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

A perennial, woody and bushy shrub that may grow to 1 m high and 1 m wide. Leaves are linear, fleshy and 'Y'-shaped with large yellow flowers. This subspecies differ from the other three subspecies found in South Australia, by having leaves with distinct petioles and leaflets, flat, narrow-oblong to linear, about as long as the linear petiole. Flowering between July and October. Fruits are yellow-brown round, four segmented capsule with paper wings. Each segment contains one seed. Seeds are pale brown, wedge-shaped to 5 mm long and 3 mm wide. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and February. Collect semi-dried and dried capsules by running your hands through the stems of the plant. Mature fruits will come off easily and will have a hard and dark seed inside each segment. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks, depending on how green the fruit is. Then rub the dried capsules to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to remove the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seed viability is usually high.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB		2,100 (7.21 g)
2,100 (7.21 g)		3015-Oct-2007TST190
Eyre Peninsula		19-Sep-200890%-18°C
BGA 
MSB		10,000 (29.82 g)
10,000 (29.82 g)		50+21-Sep-2014DJD3029
North Western		1-Jan-2016100%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.
Germination table:
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We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.