''Roepera similis'' (

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

''Zygophyllum simile'') 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 ...

annual herb native 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 ...

Description

It grows as a prostrate or erect annual herb, branching from the base and reaching a height of from four to 60 centimeters. Flowers are yellow or white.

Taxonomy

''Roepera similis'' was first described in 1990 by

Hansjörg Eichler Hansjörg Eichler (1 April 1916 – 22 June 1992) was a German-born botanist, educated in Europe, who worked in Europe and Australia, and whose greatest contribution was to Australian botany. Life Hansjörg Eichler, the son of architect, Gusta ...

as ''Zygophyllum simile'', based on a specimen has collected from the

Musgrave Ranges Musgrave Ranges is a mountain range in Central Australia, straddling the boundary of South Australia ( Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) and the Northern Territory ( MacDonnell Shire), extending into Western Australia. It is between the Gre ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

in 1963. It was transferred to the genus ''

Roepera ''Roepera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zygophyllaceae, subfamily Zygophylloideae. It is native to Australia and south-western Africa, from Angola to South Africa. Description Species of ''Roepera'' are shrubs, subshrubs or herb ...

'' in 2003, when ''

Zygophyllum ''Zygophyllum'' is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek language, Greek words ζυγόν (''zygon''), meaning "double", and φυλλον (''phyllon''), meaning "leaf". It refer ...

'' as then

circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle. * Circum ...

was found not to be

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

Distribution and habitat

It occurs in every mainland state of Australia, favouring red or grey sandy soils.

References

Zygophylloideae Rosids of Western Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Succulent plants Taxa named by Hansjörg Eichler Plants described in 1990 {{Australia-rosid-stub