Allenrolfea occidentalis
Allenrolfea
iodine bush
allenrolfea, iodine bush
woody proximally, fleshy distally;
articulations (joints) (2–)3–5(–10) × 1–4.5 mm.
erect or decumbent, much-branched, not armed, succulent;
branches articulated into small joints.
deciduous;
blade 2–4 × 2–3 mm.
alternate, ascending, sessile, reduced to scales;
blade broadly triangular, base clasping, margins entire, apex acute.
6–25 × 2.5–4 mm.
terminal spikes, flowers spirally arranged in 3s or 5s in axils of deciduous, peltate, fleshy bracts.
bisexual, sessile;
perianth 4–5-lobed, angled, truncate distally, unchanged in fruit;
stamens 1–2, exserted;
stigmas 2(–3), usually distinct.
utricles, ovoid, compressed;
pericarp free, membranous.
ca. 0.6 mm.
erect, brown or reddish brown, oblong, smooth;
embryo partly enclosing copious perisperm, radicle inferior.
enclosed by perianth.
= 9.
Allenrolfea occidentalis
Allenrolfea
A dominant shrub of salt playas and mudflats in the American Southwest, iodine bush is easily distinguished from great distances by the dark hue of its stems. The blackish-colored shrubs stand in stark contrast to surrounding vegetation and on close examination can be easily distinguished from the opposite-branched, but vegetatively similar members of Sarcocornia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 3 (1 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
