''Gunniopsis zygophylloides'', commonly known as the twin-leaf pigface, is a

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plant in the iceplant family,

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae (), or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1,800 species. Several genera are commonly known as 'ice plants' or 'carpet weeds'. The Aizoaceae are also referred to a ...

. It is endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The greenish perennial shrub typically grows to a height of . It has green to yellow-green leaves that are ovate to

obovate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

in shape. Leaves are up to long and . It blooms between July and October producing solitary green and yellow flowers. The plant is found in rocky areas on ranges and on shale or quartzite. It is distributed through north central parts of South Australia and also in the southern portion of the Northern Territory. The species was formally described by the

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

Ludwig Diels Friedrich Ludwig Emil Diels (24 September 1874 – 30 November 1945) was a German botanist. Diels was born in Hamburg, the son of the classical scholar Hermann Alexander Diels. From 1900 to 1902 he traveled together with Ernst Georg Pritzel thro ...

in 1904 in his work with

Georg August Pritzel Georg August Pritzel (2 September 1815, Carolath – 14 June 1874) was a German librarian and botanical writer. He studied in Breslau, graduating with a dissertation titled ''Anemonarum revisio''. In 1851 he began work as a ''Hülfsarbeiter'' at ...

, ''Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae occidentalis. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pflanzen Westaustraliens, ihrer Verbreitung und ihrer Lebensverhaltnisse. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie''. This name is often misapplied to '' Gunniopsis calcarea''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15582644 zygophylloides Flora of South Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Plants described in 1904 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller