Plants of
South Australia
Roepera iodocarpa
Zygophyllaceae
Violet Twinleaf
Display all 20 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: 4

Prior names

Zygophyllum iodocarpum

Zygophyllum hybridum, partly

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. Iodocarpa from the Greek 'iodes' meaning violet and 'karpos' meaning a fruit; alluding to the red-purple blush of the fruits and branches.

Distribution and status

Found across the northern part of South Australia, growing in open areas on clay plains, alluvial flood plains or gibber plains, but also in bare areas within chenopod shrublands. 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, Murray
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Spreading annual herb with red-purple branches. Leaves succulent, oblong, Y-shaped to 2 cm long, distinctly articulate at the base, stem winged. Inflorescence paired at each node with yellow flowers. This species is related to Roepera eichleri, R. tesquorum and R. rowelliae and is distinguished by its paired, shortly pendent, wider than high, often purple-tinged, 5-angled fruits with a very short 5-lobed style. Flowering between April and August. Fruits are red-purple globular capsule to 7 mm long, with 5-angles and 5 cells, each cell with 1-2 seeds. Seeds are brown tear-drop to 4 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, with a smooth surface. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between June and October. 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
4,500 (21.06 g)
4,500 (21.06 g)
100+14-Sep-2007PJL2559
Flinders Ranges
19-Sep-200895%-18°C
BGA24,800 (84.95 g)50+7-Sep-2016DJD3408
Nullarbor
1-Nov-201795%-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:
  Display