Atriplex glabriuscula |
Atriplex garrettii |
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bract orache, glabrous orach, scotland orache |
Garrett's saltbush |
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Habit | Herbs, monoecious, prostrate or sprawling, or sometimes erect, branched, (1–)2–10 dm; branches opposite or subopposite. | Shrubs or subshrubs, dioecious (rarely monoecious), mainly 2–8(–10) × 5–10+ dm, unarmed. | ||||||||||||
Stems | green and striped, often blue-green when fresh, weakly ridged, sparsely scurfy to glabrous. |
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Leaves | petiole 0.2–2.5(–3.5) cm; blade all entire or some or all triangular or lance-hastate with lobes spreading to antrorse, 5–100 × 3–80 mm, base abruptly to narrowly cuneate, entire or irregularly toothed. |
opposite or subopposite proximally, or some alternate distally; petiole 2–6 mm; blade yellow green, ovate to obovate, elliptic, or orbiculate, 8–55 × 6–32 mm, base obtuse to cuneate, margin entire or repand-dentate, apex rounded to acute, sparingly scurfy. |
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Flowers | in loose glomerules, arranged in foliose, interrupted spikes or axillary, terminating stems and branches. |
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Staminate flowers | brown to tan or yellow, in clusters 2–4 mm wide, on panicles 2–10(–15) cm. |
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Pistillate flowers | in spikes or spicate panicles 4–30 cm. |
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Seeds | dimorphic: brown, 2.5–4 mm wide (often the only ones present), or black, (1.2–)1.5–2.9(–3) mm wide; radicle median, ± antrorse, of brown seed basal and spreading. |
brown, 2 mm wide. |
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Bracteoles | green, becoming black or reddish to yellow brown, sessile or some short stipitate, venation obscure, ovate-triangular to rhombic-triangular, 5–13 mm, margin united almost to middle, with few irregular teeth or entire, apex abruptly acuminate, faces irregularly muricate, tuberculate, or smooth, inflated, spongy inner layer strongly developed at bracteole base. |
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Fruiting | bracteoles sessile or on stipes to 7 mm, body 4-winged, 6–10 mm and wide, toothed apically, surface smooth, reticulate, or with flattened processes, wings 3–4 mm wide. |
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2n | = 18, 36. |
= 18. |
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Atriplex glabriuscula |
Atriplex garrettii |
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Distribution |
CT; MA; ME; NH; PA; AB; MB; NB; NS; PE; QC; Europe
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AZ; UT |
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Discussion | Varieties 3 (3 in the flora). Members of the Atriplex glabriuscula complex occupy saline or brackish marshes and saline coastal strands mainly in the eastern maritime provinces of Canada, with extensions in similar habitats into the northeastern United States. They are seldom, if ever, ruderal weeds and appear to be indigenous or perhaps early introduced in some part from similar European habitats. The constituent taxa have been regarded at specific level (P. M. Taschereau 1972; I. J. Bassett et al. 1983). They are, however, alike in all major morphologic features, and are apparently closely allied. For those who wish to treat them at specific level, the names are supplied in the synonymy. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 4. | FNA vol. 4, p. 375. | ||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Atriplex > sect. Teutliopsis | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Pterochiton | ||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||
Synonyms | A. canescens subsp. garrettii, A. canescens var. garrettii | |||||||||||||
Name authority | Edmondston: Fl. Shetland, 39. (1845) | Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 39: 312. (1912) | ||||||||||||
Web links |