Atriplex dioica |
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rillscale, thickleaf orache |
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Habit | Herbs annual, monoecious, 3–15 dm, sparsely farinose, becoming green and glabrous. |
Stems | erect, sometimes decumbent, branched, ribbed and striate. |
Leaves | alternate above; opposite at least below; blades lanceolate to linear-lanceolate; lower leaves triangular-ovate or ovate-hastate, 2–10 × 1–5(6.5) cm, green on both surfaces, red to yellowish at base; thick to succulent, bases broadly cuneate to truncate; margins entire or minutely dentate or wavy; tips acute or obtuse, green to somewhat red; surfaces glabrous to sparsely scaly; petioles 0–2(3) cm; upper leaves often sessile. |
Inflorescences | clusters of short; axillary or terminal spikes; leafless except at base, staminate and pistillate flowers usually intermixed. |
Staminate flowers | perianths 5-parted. |
Pistillate flowers | perianths absent, enclosed by 2 fruiting bracteoles. |
Seeds | dimorphic, 1–2 mm; black; shiny or 1.8–3 mm, brown. |
Fruiting bracteoles | broadly triangular-hastate to ovate, inflated and spongy; margins few-toothed; tips acute; faces smooth or with 2 tubercles, sessile. |
2n | =36, 54. |
Atriplex dioica |
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Distribution | |
Discussion | Seasonally moist ground, coastal beaches, riverbanks, roadsides, ditches. Flowering Jul–Oct. 0–100 m. Col, Est, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout Canada and most of US. Native. |
Source | Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 69 Bridget Chipman |
Sibling taxa | |
Web links |
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