Tetragonia tetragonioides

New Zealand spinach, warrigal greens

Family: Aizoaceae · Type: Dicot (Herb)

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

New Zealand spinach is a naturalized annual herb found along the California coast in coastal and inland beach areas at elevations near sea level. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces small greenish-yellow flowers in inconspicuous clusters. Growing with sprawling succulent stems that spread up to 1 meter long, it forms a low, mat-like ground cover. Its thick, triangular to diamond-shaped leaves are fleshy and bright green, measuring 3 to 7 centimeters long with a slightly waxy texture. The fruit is a distinctive four-angled capsule that helps distinguish this edible coastal plant.

Bioregions: CCo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.