''Gunniopsis papillata'', commonly known as the twin-leaved pigface, is a species of

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plant in the iceplant family,

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is d ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to inland areas of Australia. It is an annual

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with pimply, spatula-shaped to egg-shaped leaves and flowers with white or yellow petals.

Description

''Gunniopsis papillata'' is an annual herb that typically grows to a height of with cylindrical branchlets. The branchlets and leaves are usually covered with pimply or nipple-like projections. The leaves are spatula-shaped to egg-shaped, yellowish to greyish green, about long and wide. The flowers are arranged singly with white or yellow, rarely pink, egg-shaped to triangular petals long, wide that are green and pimply on the back. There are many

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s arranged in two or three

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

. Flowering occurs from August to October.

Taxonomy

''Gunniopsis papillata'' was first formally described in 1983 by

Robert Chinnock Robert James "Bob" Chinnock (born 3 July 1943) is a New Zealand-born Australian botanist who worked at the State Herbarium of South Australia as a senior biologist. He retired in 2008 but still works as an honorary research associate. His resear ...

from specimens collected near Curdamurka (west of

Lake Eyre Lake Eyre ( ), officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in east-central Far North South Australia, some north of Adelaide. The shallow lake is the depocentre of the vast endorheic Lake Eyre basin, and contains the ...

) b
Joseph Zvonko Weber
in 1978.

Distribution and habitat

Twin-leaved pigface is found long ephemeral creek beds, swales and in depressions on gibber flats in saline areas, mainly through central and northern parts of South Australia where it grows in loam or clay soils. It also occurs in the south west of Queensland, north-western inland New South Wales, and there are also old records from the south of the Northern Territory where the species is listed as "near threatened" under the '' Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15590384 papillata Flora of South Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Northern Territory Plants described in 1983