Calandrinia sp. Edel Land (F. Obbens FO 01/17) is a synonym of C. sphaerophylla (Montiaceae)

Calandrinia sphaerophylla J.M.Black was first collected in 1925 from a locality near Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula (the exact location is unknown) and was described by Black (1927).This species is a small, semi-erect to erect succulent annual with very small, creamy white flowers (3-5 mm diam.) with 5 petals, 6 stamens and 3 stigmas (i.e.3-valved in fruit).Many of the basal and other leaves are spheroidal, but it can also have obovoid leaves.It has seeds roughly 0.5 mm long that are dark redbrown, shiny and sub-reniform to ovoid in shape.The seed surface has numerous minute papillae or tubercules, and in this respect, looks very similar to C. papillata Syeda, a species that is very different in habit, size, and habitat to C. sphaerophylla and is also 8-petalled with 4-valved fruits.One might suspect that C. sphaerophylla could be related to C. eremaea Ewart because both species are small plants with somewhat similar papillate seeds, however, there are several subtle differences.For example, C. eremaea seeds are reniform and black or metallic in colour, whereas C. sphaerophylla seeds are sub-reniform to ovoid and dark red-brown.Also, seed of C. eremaea has strong rows of papillae predominantly on the dorsal surface and less distinct elsewhere and is also distinctly colliculate, whereas the papillae or tubercules on seeds of C. sphaerophylla generally occur over most of the surface and the colliculi are less distinct.In his protologue, Black (1927) states, in reference to C. sphaerophylla, '[r]esembles C. pygmaea F. Muell.[i.e. C. granulifera Benth.] in size, but differs in the reflexed pedicels, thinner not deciduous sepals, obtuse petals, filaments united about the middle, broad not slender styles and pale capsule splitting almost to base.'In fact, Black was correct in comparing C. sphaerophylla and C. granulifera as allied species because molecular analyses showed both species to belong in the same clade (Clade 5), but neither is placed with C. eremaea nor C. papillata (Hancock et al. 2018).