Disphyma

Disphyma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Aizoaceae that are native to New Zealand, Australia and southern Africa. Plants in this genus are prostrate, annual or short-lived perennial shrubs with succulent leaves and daisy-like flowers arranged singly on the ends of shoots with petal-like staminodes, many stamens and usually five styles.

Disphyma
Disphyma crassifolium subsp. clavellatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Aizoaceae
Subfamily:	Ruschioideae
Tribe:	Ruschieae
Genus:	Disphyma N.E.Br.

Description

Plants in the genus Disphyma are prostrate, annual plants or short-lived perennials with branches that root at nodes. The leaves are arranged alternately and fused at the base, succulent and round to more or less triangular in cross-section. The flowers are usually arranged singly, sometimes in pairs or three, on the ends of branches or on short side shoots, each flower on a pedicel up to 100 mm (3.9 in) long. The perianth is tube-shaped with five sepals, two larger and leaf-like and three smaller, slightly succulent and not leaf-like. There are many petal-like, purplish staminodes in two rows and many stamens in four or five rows. The ovary is inferior and there are usually five styles. The fruit is a capsule.^[1][2]

Taxonomy

The genus Disphyma was first formally described in 1925 by N. E. Brown in The Gardeners' Chronicle.^[3][4]

As at October 2020, Plants of the World Online accepts four species:

• Disphyma australe (Sol. ex Aiton) J.M.Black that is endemic to New Zealand;^[5]
• Disphyma crassifolium (L.) L.Bolus that is native to Australia and the Cape Province in southern Africa;^[6]
• Disphyma dunsdonii L.Bolus that is endemic to the Cape Province;^[7]
• Disphyma papillatum Chinnock that is endemic to the Chatham Islands on New Zealand;^[8]

Plants of the World Online also accepts two subspecies:

• Disphyma australe subsp. stricticaule Chinnock that is endemic to Kermadec Island of New Zealand;^[9]
• Disphyma crassifolium subsp. clavellatum (Haw.) Chinnock that is endemic to Australia and has been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand.^[10]