Tetragonia tetragonoides, commonly called New Zealand spinach, is a flowering plant in the fig-marigold family. It is often cultivated as a leafy vegetable. It is a widespread species, native to eastern Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
New Zealand spinach is a perennial vegetable grown as a tender annual. It is a low-growing, weak-stemmed leafy plant that can spread several feet wide and grow to one foot tall. It has succulent, triangular- to oval-shaped leaves that are pale to dark green and grow from 2 to 4 inches long. The leaves of New Zealand spinach are smaller and fuzzier than those of regular spinach. New Zealand spinach has small yellow flowers and conical capsules. The plant has been introduced and is an invasive species in many parts of Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. Its natural habitat is sandy shorelines and bluffs, often in disturbed areas. It is a halophyte and grows well in saline ground. It's invasive in coastal habitats in Chile, Hawaii, Florida and California.
