Plants of
South Australia
Roepera eremaea
Zygophyllaceae
Climbing Twinleaf
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Arkaroola
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 4

Prior names

Zygophyllum eremaeum

Zygophyllum aurantiacum var. eremaeum

Zygophyllum fruticulosum var. eremaeum

Common names

Climbing 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. Eremaea from the Greek 'eremos' meaning desert and suffix 'eum' meaning belonging to; referring to the habitat of the species in semi-arid areas.

Distribution and status

Found in the northern part of South Australia, growing on calcareous sand and stony red-brown sandy loam often scrambling into taller shrubs. Also found in all mainland states. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in Queensland. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Weak perennial (sometimes annual) subshrub to 40 cm high, sometimes scrambling or climbing for several metres. Leaves Y-shaped, succulent, green, leaflet linear to terete, to 20 mm long and 3 mm wide, continuous with petiole, spreading, apex acute. Inflorescence solitary at each node with pale lemon-yellow flowers. Flowering between July and October. Fruits are pale brown round papery capsule to 13 mm long, with 4 very thin vertical wings. Seeds are pale brown, oblong-shaped to 4.5 mm long and 2 mm wide, with fine pitted surface. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and December. 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.

We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.