Atriplex glabriuscula |
Atriplex subg. Atriplex |
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bract orache, glabrous orach, scotland orache |
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Habit | Herbs, monoecious, prostrate or sprawling, or sometimes erect, branched, (1–)2–10 dm; branches opposite or subopposite. | Plants annual or perennial herbs or less commonly subshrubs or shrubs, usually monoecious, erect or variously prostrate to ascending. | ||||||||
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. |
with or without Kranz type leaf anatomy. |
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Flowers | in loose glomerules, arranged in foliose, interrupted spikes or axillary, terminating stems and branches. |
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Pistillate flowers | dimorphic (or with both dimorphic and some ebracteolate) and with perianth enveloping a horizontal seed in sect. Atriplex or more typically homomorphic and borne between enclosing bracteoles. |
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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. |
horizontal or more typically erect; radicle mainly inferior, less commonly lateral and spreading. |
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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. |
variously shaped, margin entire or toothed, faces smooth or variously tuberculate. |
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2n | = 18, 36. |
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Atriplex glabriuscula |
Atriplex subg. Atriplex |
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Distribution |
CT; MA; ME; NH; PA; AB; MB; NB; NS; PE; QC; Europe
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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.) |
This subgenus is represented widely in both the old and new world species of the genus. in north america there are both indigenous and introduced members. however, even the species indigenous to the new world have affinities with those from either europe or australia. the members are mainly cool-temperate species with some of the introduced species occasionally extending into the warm-temperate regions (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. 331. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Atriplex > sect. Teutliopsis | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Name authority | Edmondston: Fl. Shetland, 39. (1845) | unknown | ||||||||
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