Tetragonia tetragonioides – Warrigal Greens / NZ Spinach seeds x 50

Native to Australia, New Zealand & parts of tropical Asia, this plant is now found in Africa, Europe & North & South America. Its preferred habitat is sandy shorelines, windy bluffs and it readily takes to disturbed areas. It is accepting of salty winds and saline soils.

The plant first came to the attention of Captain Cook who added it to the Endeavour crew’s diet to prevent scurvy. There is some evidence that it was used in the diets of the Aboriginal & Maori cultures but does not appear to have been a major food source for them.

Warrigal Greens (Australia) or New Zealand Spinach is usually grown for its tender young leaves (older leaves are bitter) or can be grown as a stabilising groundcover. Preparation of the leaves is simple – blanch the leaves in hot water for 1 minute, flush with cold water, then cook like spinach. This preparation removes the oxalates found in most leaf vegetables.

This plant self-sows and can become a quite dense trailing mat if you use it as a groundcover. As a vegetable, it is kept in check by constant leaf harvesting.