Atriplex heterosperma |
Atriplex glabriuscula |
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orach, Russian atriplex, Russian atriplex orach |
bract orache, glabrous orach, scotland orache |
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Habit | Herbs, monoecious, erect, branching from base, mostly 5–15 dm. | Herbs, monoecious, prostrate or sprawling, or sometimes erect, branched, (1–)2–10 dm; branches opposite or subopposite. | ||||||||
Stems | green and striped, often blue-green when fresh, weakly ridged, sparsely scurfy to glabrous. |
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Leaves | alternate except proximal-most; petiole 2–3 cm; blade green on both sides, triangular to lance-triangular, 30–120 × 12–90 mm, hastate or subcuneate, margin subentire or irregularly dentate, farinaceous at first, finally glabrous. |
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. |
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Flowers | in terminal or axillary pyramidal panicles 6–25+ cm. |
in loose glomerules, arranged in foliose, interrupted spikes or axillary, terminating stems and branches. |
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Staminate flowers | 5-merous, with bracteoles free to base. |
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Pistillate flowers | dimorphic, all bracteolate and lacking sepals. |
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Seeds | vertical; of larger bracteoles yellowish brown, flat, 2–3 mm wide, dull; of smaller bracteoles black, 1.5 mm wide or less, shiny; radicle inferior, basal. |
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. |
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Fruiting | bracteoles orbiculate-ovate, of 2 sizes; larger ones 5–6 × 5 mm; smaller ones 2 × 2 mm, margin entire, surfaces smooth. |
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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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2n | = 36. |
= 18, 36. |
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Atriplex heterosperma |
Atriplex glabriuscula |
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Phenology | Flowering summer–fall. | |||||||||
Habitat | Riparian and palustrine (less commonly ruderal) habitats | |||||||||
Elevation | 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
CA; CO; ID; ME; NE; NV; NY; OR; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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CT; MA; ME; NH; PA; AB; MB; NB; NS; PE; QC; Europe
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Discussion | Russian atriplex occurs with greasewood, saltgrass, cottonwood, tamarix, and weedy annuals. It is a handsome, vigorous ruderal, weedy annual indigenous to Europe east to Chinese Turkestan that appears to be invading saline lowland and other disturbed areas throughout much of North America. It is similar to Atriplex prostrata from which it can be distinguished by the entire margin and smooth surfaces of the fruiting bracteoles. Additionally, the leaves are thick-textured and often bear one or more lobes or teeth irregularly along the blade above the subbasal main hastate lobe. The staminate spikes when young are very slender, mainly less than 2.5 mm thick. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 336. | FNA vol. 4. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Atriplex > sect. Teutliopsis | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Atriplex > sect. Teutliopsis | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Name authority | Bunge: Beitr. Fl. Russl., 272. (1852) | Edmondston: Fl. Shetland, 39. (1845) | ||||||||
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