OregonFlora: Atriplex semibaccata vs. Atriplex confertifolia

	Atriplex semibaccata	Atriplex confertifolia
		sheepfat, spiny saltbush
Habit		Shrubs dioecious, 3–10(20) dm, densely gray-farinose, stems becoming glabrate and yellow-brown.
Stems		erect; woody, branched throughout, forming a spherical bush, becoming distinct spines.
Leaves		alternate; blades obovate to suborbicular or elliptic, 0.8–2.5 cm, bases cuneate to truncate; margins entire; tips obtuse to rounded, sometimes mucronate; petioles 1–4 mm.
Inflorescences		axillary and terminal clusters of flowers in spikes or short panicles to 10 × 2–4 mm.
Staminate flowers		yellow to silvery.
Pistillate flowers		perianths absent, enclosed by 2 fruiting bracteoles.
Seeds		1.5–2 mm; reddish brown.
Fruiting bracteoles		5–11(13) mm; margins entire to few-toothed; faces smooth; wings absent.
2n		=18, 36, 54.

	Atriplex semibaccata	Atriplex confertifolia
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Dry slopes, desert, sagebrush communities. Flowering Apr–Jun. 500–1500 m. BR, Lava, Owy. CA, ID, NV; northeast to ND, east to WY, southeast to TX. Native.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 68 Bridget Chipman
Sibling taxa	A. argentea, A. canescens, A. confertifolia, A. dioica, A. gardneri, A. gmelinii, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. micrantha, A. patula, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. truncata	A. argentea, A. canescens, A. dioica, A. gardneri, A. gmelinii, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. micrantha, A. patula, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. truncata
Web links	Local floras: CA, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Atriplex semibaccata

Atriplex confertifolia

sheepfat, spiny saltbush

Habit

Shrubs dioecious, 3–10(20) dm, densely gray-farinose, stems becoming glabrate and yellow-brown.

Stems

erect; woody, branched throughout, forming a spherical bush, becoming distinct spines.

Leaves

alternate;

blades obovate to suborbicular or elliptic, 0.8–2.5 cm, bases cuneate to truncate;

margins entire;

tips obtuse to rounded, sometimes mucronate;

petioles 1–4 mm.

Inflorescences

axillary and terminal clusters of flowers in spikes or short panicles to 10 × 2–4 mm.

Staminate flowers

yellow to silvery.

Pistillate flowers

perianths absent, enclosed by 2 fruiting bracteoles.

Seeds

1.5–2 mm; reddish brown.

Fruiting bracteoles

5–11(13) mm;

margins entire to few-toothed;

faces smooth;

wings absent.

=18, 36, 54.

Atriplex semibaccata

Atriplex confertifolia

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Dry slopes, desert, sagebrush communities. Flowering Apr–Jun. 500–1500 m. BR, Lava, Owy. CA, ID, NV; northeast to ND, east to WY, southeast to TX. Native.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 68
Bridget Chipman

Sibling taxa