''Roepera billardierei'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Zygophyllum billardierei'', commonly known as coast twin-leaf, is a species of plant in the family Zygophyllaceae found in temperate regions of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In Tasmania, where it has only been recorded from the Furneaux Group in

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

, it is listed as Rare under the state's Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

Description

Coast twin-leaf is a perennial

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 stems that spread over the ground. The stems are branched and 20–40 mm long. The leaves are Y-shaped, with blunt tips, and up to 15 mm long. The flowers are yellow and about 10 mm long. The fruit is a drooping four-angled capsule about 10–12 mm long, containing brown seeds. It is a scrambling plant which is found in both sheltered and exposed coastal sites where it stabilises loose sand on

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

References

Zygophylloideae Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of Tasmania Flora of New South Wales Flora of South Australia Flora of Western Australia {{rosid-stub