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Disphyma australe

Common name:	Pig's Face	Family:	Aizoaceae
Author:	(Aiton.)J.M.Black.	Botanical references:	44, 200
Synonyms:	Mesembryanthemum australe
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia, New Zealand.
Habitat:	Coastal rocks and gravels, cliffs and sand dunes throughout New Zealand[44, 173].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	australe = southern
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Caryophyllales. Fig-marigold family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.1m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 9. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit Leaves.

The leaves are pickled[173, 183].
Fruit - the inner portion is used[173]. No further details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a very well-drained soil and a sunny position[1, 200]. It does not need a rich soil and is probably hardier when grown in poorer soils[200]. Plants grow well by the coast, tolerating maritime exposure[1].
This species is not very cold-hardy in Britain, it can be grown as an annual, flowering and setting seed in its first year from seed[1]. It is also possible to take cuttings in the summer and overwinter them in the greenhouse[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings in the summer.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Aizoaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[44] Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961
The standard work, in 3 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats.

[173] Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990 ISBN 0-340-508302
A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Disphyma+australe
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Disphyma+australe

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.