Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Cotyledon orbiculata L.

Synonyms

Cotyledon oblonga Haw.
Cotyledon orbiculata L. var. orbiculata
Cotyledon orbiculata L. var. oblonga (Haw.) DC.

Family

Crassulaceae

Common Names

cotyledon, pig's ears, round-leafed navel-wort, round-leaved cotyledon

Origin

Native to southern Africa (i.e. south-western Angola, southern Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in many parts of southern Australia (i.e. in the coastal districts of southern New South Wales, in some parts of Victoria, in Tasmania, in the eastern parts of South Australia and in the coastal districts of south-western and western Western Australia).

Naturalised overseas in New Zealand and south-western USA (i.e. California).

Notes

This species is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria and Western Australia. It has escaped cultivation and become naturalised mainly in coastal areas and sandy sites. For example, it is abundant on granitic slopes on Breaksea Island in Albany harbour in south-western Western Australia.

It has also been recorded in Onkaparinga River Recreation Park in south-eastern South Australia.