Atriplex leucophylla |
Atriplex pleiantha |
|
---|---|---|
beach saltbush, sea scale, whiteleaf orach |
four-corners orach |
|
Habit | Herbs, prostrate (decumbent or procumbent), many branched, 1.5–6 dm, somewhat woody below, coarse, white scurfy. | Herbs, branching from base, mainly 0.5–1.5 dm, glabrous or sparingly scurfy. |
Leaves | many, sometimes crowded; blade orbiculate to ovate or ovate-lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, 8–40 × 4–18 mm, base obtuse or rounded, white scurfy. |
alternate to subopposite, petiolate; blade ovate to suborbiculate, 5–18(–20) mm, about as wide, margin entire, apex obtuse to acute. |
Staminate flowers | in dense terminal spikes. |
in short terminal spikes. |
Pistillate flowers | in few-flowered, axillary clusters. |
|
Seeds | dark red-brown, 2.5–3 mm. |
falling at maturity, black, 1.5 mm, shining, smooth. |
Fruiting | bracteoles not compressed, 5–7 mm, faces usually with wartlike projections, scurfy. |
bracteoles short stipitate, compressed, 3–7 mm wide and about as long, entire; perianth consisting of 5 hyaline, sparsely ciliate scales 1–1.2 mm. |
Atriplex leucophylla |
Atriplex pleiantha |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–fall. | Flowering late summer–fall. |
Habitat | Sea beaches, along coasts, at higher elevation inland | Salt-desert shrub community |
Elevation | 0-30 m (0-100 ft) | 1400-1500 m (4600-4900 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
|
AZ; CO; NM; UT |
Discussion | Atriplex leucophylla occurs with Potentilla, Camissonia, Ambrosia, Cakile, and Calystegia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 366. | FNA vol. 4, p. 345. |
Parent taxa | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Obione > sect. Obione > subsect. Leucophyllae | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Obione > sect. Pleianthae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Obione leucophylla | Proatriplex pleiantha |
Name authority | (Moquin-Tandon) D. Dietrich: Syn. Pl. 5: 536. (1852) | W. A. Weber: Madroño 10: 189, figs. 1, 2. (1950) |
Web links |