FNA: Atriplex obovata vs. Atriplex corrugata

	Atriplex obovata	Atriplex corrugata
	broadscale, mound saltbush, New Mexico saltbush, silver saltbush	mat-atriplex, mat-saltbush, matscale
Habit	Subshrubs, dioecious, clump forming, mainly 2–8 dm and as wide, woody at base.	Shrubs dioecious (rarely monoecious), low spreading (often appearing as if prostrate), mainly 0.3–1.5 × 3–15 dm.
Stems	stiffly erect; branchlets terete.
Leaves	tardily deciduous, alternate or proximal-most subopposite, shortly petiolate; blade gray green, oblong-ovate to elliptic or orbiculate, 8–30(–35) × 6–20 mm, margin entire or rarely dentate, apex rounded to retuse or obtuse.	persistent, sessile, opposite proximally, alternate distally; blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, or oblong, 3–18 × 2–6 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse.
Staminate flowers	yellow, in clusters 2–3 mm wide, borne in panicles 6–30 cm.	yellow to brownish, in clusters 3–6 mm wide, borne in spikes 1–8 cm.
Pistillate flowers	in small, very numerous glomerules in axils of elongated, terminal leafy-bracteate spikes or finally paniculate.	in leafy bracteate spikes 5–15 cm.
Seeds	brown, 2.4–2.8 mm.	brown, 1.5 mm wide.
Fruiting	bracteoles sessile or substipitate, 4–5 × 5–9 mm, base broadly cuneate, margin sharply toothed, apical tooth subtended by 2–6 equal or smaller teeth, faces smooth or rarely tuberculate.	bracteoles sessile or subsessile, panduriform, 3–5 × 4–6 mm, united to beyond middle, margin entire or undulate, apex rounded to acute, densely tuberculate (or smooth).
2n		= 36.

	Atriplex obovata	Atriplex corrugata
Phenology	Flowering summer–fall.	Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat	Fine-textured substrates, with salt desert shrub and lower pinyon-juniper communities	Saline, usually fine-textured substrates derived from Mancos Shale, Tropic Shale, Morrison, Duchesne River, and other similar formations in mat-atriplex and Castle Valley saltbush communities
Elevation	1500-2000 m (4900-6600 ft)	1200-2200 m (3900-7200 ft)
Distribution	AZ; CO; NM; TX; UT; Mexico [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	CO; NM; UT [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Mat-saltbush is known to form intermediates with both Atriplex confertifolia and A. gardneri var. cuneata. This saltbush is a valuable browse plant on the sparsely vegetated clays and silts of eastern Utah, especially on the Mancos Shale exposures, where it is often the only woody vegetation present. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 4, p. 371.	FNA vol. 4.
Parent taxa	Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Pterochiton	Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Pterochiton
Sibling taxa	A. acanthocarpa, A. amnicola, A. argentea, A. californica, A. canescens, A. confertifolia, A. cordulata, A. coronata, A. corrugata, A. coulteri, A. covillei, A. dioica, A. elegans, A. fruticulosa, A. gardneri, A. garrettii, A. glabriuscula, A. gmelinii, A. graciliflora, A. heterosperma, A. holocarpa, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. joaquiniana, A. klebergorum, A. laciniata, A. lentiformis, A. leucophylla, A. lindleyi, A. linearis, A. littoralis, A. matamorensis, A. mucronata, A. nudicaulis, A. nummularia, A. oblongifolia, A. pacifica, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. patula, A. pentandra, A. phyllostegia, A. pleiantha, A. polycarpa, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. saccaria, A. semibaccata, A. serenana, A. spinifera, A. suberecta, A. suckleyi, A. tatarica, A. torreyi, A. truncata, A. tularensis, A. watsonii, A. wolfii, A. wrightii	A. acanthocarpa, A. amnicola, A. argentea, A. californica, A. canescens, A. confertifolia, A. cordulata, A. coronata, A. coulteri, A. covillei, A. dioica, A. elegans, A. fruticulosa, A. gardneri, A. garrettii, A. glabriuscula, A. gmelinii, A. graciliflora, A. heterosperma, A. holocarpa, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. joaquiniana, A. klebergorum, A. laciniata, A. lentiformis, A. leucophylla, A. lindleyi, A. linearis, A. littoralis, A. matamorensis, A. mucronata, A. nudicaulis, A. nummularia, A. oblongifolia, A. obovata, A. pacifica, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. patula, A. pentandra, A. phyllostegia, A. pleiantha, A. polycarpa, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. saccaria, A. semibaccata, A. serenana, A. spinifera, A. suberecta, A. suckleyi, A. tatarica, A. torreyi, A. truncata, A. tularensis, A. watsonii, A. wolfii, A. wrightii
Synonyms	A. greggii, A. jonesii, A. obovata var. tuberata	A. nuttallii var. corrugata
Name authority	Moquin-Tandon: Chenop. Monogr. Enum., 61. (1840)	S. Watson: Bot. Gaz. 16: 345. (1891)
Web links	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local Web sites: SW CO Wildflowers WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Atriplex corrugata

broadscale, mound saltbush, New Mexico saltbush, silver saltbush

mat-atriplex, mat-saltbush, matscale

Habit

Subshrubs, dioecious, clump forming, mainly 2–8 dm and as wide, woody at base.

Shrubs dioecious (rarely monoecious), low spreading (often appearing as if prostrate), mainly 0.3–1.5 × 3–15 dm.

Stems

stiffly erect;

branchlets terete.

Leaves

tardily deciduous, alternate or proximal-most subopposite, shortly petiolate;

blade gray green, oblong-ovate to elliptic or orbiculate, 8–30(–35) × 6–20 mm, margin entire or rarely dentate, apex rounded to retuse or obtuse.

persistent, sessile, opposite proximally, alternate distally;

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, or oblong, 3–18 × 2–6 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse.

Staminate flowers

yellow, in clusters 2–3 mm wide, borne in panicles 6–30 cm.

yellow to brownish, in clusters 3–6 mm wide, borne in spikes 1–8 cm.

Pistillate flowers

in small, very numerous glomerules in axils of elongated, terminal leafy-bracteate spikes or finally paniculate.

in leafy bracteate spikes 5–15 cm.

Seeds

brown, 2.4–2.8 mm.

brown, 1.5 mm wide.

Fruiting

bracteoles sessile or substipitate, 4–5 × 5–9 mm, base broadly cuneate, margin sharply toothed, apical tooth subtended by 2–6 equal or smaller teeth, faces smooth or rarely tuberculate.

bracteoles sessile or subsessile, panduriform, 3–5 × 4–6 mm, united to beyond middle, margin entire or undulate, apex rounded to acute, densely tuberculate (or smooth).

= 36.

Atriplex corrugata

Phenology

Flowering summer–fall.

Flowering spring–fall.

Habitat

Fine-textured substrates, with salt desert shrub and lower pinyon-juniper communities

Saline, usually fine-textured substrates derived from Mancos Shale, Tropic Shale, Morrison, Duchesne River, and other similar formations in mat-atriplex and Castle Valley saltbush communities

Elevation

1500-2000 m (4900-6600 ft)

1200-2200 m (3900-7200 ft)

Distribution

AZ; CO; NM; TX; UT; Mexico

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

CO; NM; UT

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Mat-saltbush is known to form intermediates with both Atriplex confertifolia and A. gardneri var. cuneata. This saltbush is a valuable browse plant on the sparsely vegetated clays and silts of eastern Utah, especially on the Mancos Shale exposures, where it is often the only woody vegetation present.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source

FNA vol. 4, p. 371.

FNA vol. 4.

Parent taxa

Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Pterochiton

Sibling taxa

A. acanthocarpa, A. amnicola, A. argentea, A. californica, A. canescens, A. confertifolia, A. cordulata, A. coronata, A. corrugata, A. coulteri, A. covillei, A. dioica, A. elegans, A. fruticulosa, A. gardneri, A. garrettii, A. glabriuscula, A. gmelinii, A. graciliflora, A. heterosperma, A. holocarpa, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. joaquiniana, A. klebergorum, A. laciniata, A. lentiformis, A. leucophylla, A. lindleyi, A. linearis, A. littoralis, A. matamorensis, A. mucronata, A. nudicaulis, A. nummularia, A. oblongifolia, A. pacifica, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. patula, A. pentandra, A. phyllostegia, A. pleiantha, A. polycarpa, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. saccaria, A. semibaccata, A. serenana, A. spinifera, A. suberecta, A. suckleyi, A. tatarica, A. torreyi, A. truncata, A. tularensis, A. watsonii, A. wolfii, A. wrightii

A. acanthocarpa, A. amnicola, A. argentea, A. californica, A. canescens, A. confertifolia, A. cordulata, A. coronata, A. coulteri, A. covillei, A. dioica, A. elegans, A. fruticulosa, A. gardneri, A. garrettii, A. glabriuscula, A. gmelinii, A. graciliflora, A. heterosperma, A. holocarpa, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. joaquiniana, A. klebergorum, A. laciniata, A. lentiformis, A. leucophylla, A. lindleyi, A. linearis, A. littoralis, A. matamorensis, A. mucronata, A. nudicaulis, A. nummularia, A. oblongifolia, A. obovata, A. pacifica, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. patula, A. pentandra, A. phyllostegia, A. pleiantha, A. polycarpa, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. saccaria, A. semibaccata, A. serenana, A. spinifera, A. suberecta, A. suckleyi, A. tatarica, A. torreyi, A. truncata, A. tularensis, A. watsonii, A. wolfii, A. wrightii

Synonyms

A. greggii, A. jonesii, A. obovata var. tuberata

A. nuttallii var. corrugata

Name authority

Moquin-Tandon: Chenop. Monogr. Enum., 61. (1840)

S. Watson: Bot. Gaz. 16: 345. (1891)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

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Atriplex obovata

Atriplex corrugata

Atriplex obovata

Atriplex corrugata