Disphyma clavellatum
Common names
jellybeans
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Detailed description
Trailing, succulent herb. Stem prostrate, terete, glabrous. Leaves terete or weakly 3-angled, obtuse and mucronate at apex, clavate, tapering to shortly connate base, 5-50 × 4-5-10 mm; margins papillate. Flowers 20-40 mm diameter. Calyx glabrous; sepal keels smooth. Petals purple with white base (bases turning purple when dry), in 2 rows, 10-30 mm long. Stamens 5-7 mm long; filaments hairy at base; anthers whitish yellow. Capsule 5-12 mm diameter, valves with widely divergent expanding keels; placental tubercle 2-lobed. Seeds pale brown to brown, weakly rugose or smooth, c.1 mm long.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from the other New Zealand species by the terete or weakly 3-angled, clavate, obtuse, finely mucronate leaves; petals in 2 rows, these purple with a white base (the base turning purple on drying); and by the placental tubercle 3-lobed.
Distribution
Indigenous: New Zealand, South Island (Waimea Inlet and Riverton Estuary). Present in Australia
Habitat
Saltmarsh and estuaries - often in places flooded at high tide.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
Threats
Not Threatened. Presumed to be a relatively recent i.e. last 50 or so years, natural arrival from Australia
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Mesembryanthemum clavellatum Haw.; Disphyma crassifolium subsp. clavellatum (Haw.) Chinnock; Disphyma blackii Chinnock; Disphyma crassifolium (L.) L.Bolus; Mesembryanthemum crassifolium L.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - January
Fruiting
December - April
Propagation technique
Easily grown from rooted pieces, division of whole plants and fresh seed.
Other information
Etymology
disphyma: Two-nodule
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
DISCLA
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
2009 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
2004 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Non-resident Native – Regional Coloniser
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Webb, C. J.; Sykes, W. R.; Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. 4. Christchurch, New Zealand, Botany Division, D.S.I.R.
Attribution
Description based on Webb et al. (1988)
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Disphyma clavellatum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/disphyma-clavellatum/ (Date website was queried)