Plants of
South Australia
Roepera apiculata
Zygophyllaceae
Pointed-fruit Twinleaf,
Pointed Twinleaf,
Gallweed
Display all 14 images
Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
Enlarge Map
Copy Map
Copy Map
Display IBRA region text

Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 5

Prior names

Zygophyllum apiculatum

Roepera latifolia

Common names

Pointed-fruit Twinleaf

Pointed Twinleaf

Gallweed

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. Apiculata from the Latin 'apicatus' meaning pointed tip; referring to the pointed tip of the fruit.

Distribution and status

Found across South Australia except on Kangaroo island and the South-east, growing in mallee and woodland on sandy calcareous soils. Also found in all mainland states. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in all mainland states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect perennial subshrub to 40 cm high, often compact and bushy, usually with a woody base. Leaves Y-shaped to 80 mm long, green, fleshy with leaflets obliquely obovate, to 40 mm long and 20 mm wide, apex rounded. Flowers bright yellow with 5 sepals and 5 petals. Flowering between August and November. Fruits are pale brown 5-angled capsule to 10 mm long, abruptly truncate at apex with a short, blunt point at the upper corner of each angle with 1 seed per cell. Seeds are brown, ovoid to 4 mm long and 2 mm wide, with smooth surface. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and January. 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
BGA5,000 (46.46 g)30+7-Oct-2010DJD1957
Lake Eyre
1-Jan-2012100%-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.