Atriplex patula |
Atriplex subg. Atriplex |
|
---|---|---|
common orache, halberd-leaf orache, spear orach, spear orache, spear oracle, spear saltbush, spear saltweed, spearscal e, spearscale orache |
|
|
Habit | Herbs, monoecious or subdioecious, (1.5–)3–9(–15) dm. | Plants annual or perennial herbs or less commonly subshrubs or shrubs, usually monoecious, erect or variously prostrate to ascending. |
Stems | mostly erect and branched, branches green, obtusely angled or striate, glabrate. |
|
Leaves | alternate except the proximalmost, petiolate; blade green on both sides, rhombic-lanceolate to lanceolate, oblong, or narrowly lance-oblong or hastate-ovate, 25–120 × 3–40(–75) mm, entire or toothed, proximal ones broadly cuneate or sometimes hastate subbasally with obliquely antrorse basal lobes, distal cauline leaves lanceolate and entire. |
with or without Kranz type leaf anatomy. |
Flowers | compact or interrupted spiciform or paniculiform clusters. |
|
Staminate flowers | mostly 5-merous. |
|
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. |
|
Seeds | dimorphic: brown, 2.5–3(–3.5) mm wide, or black, 1–2 mm wide; radicle of brown seeds subbasal to median, antrorse. |
horizontal or more typically erect; radicle mainly inferior, less commonly lateral and spreading. |
Fruiting | bracteoles green becoming black, rhombic to rhombic-triangular, or ovate-rhombic, compressed, ± uniformly sized, 2–7(–20) mm, base mostly hastate, acute, margin united almost to middle, entire or sparingly toothed, surfaces tuberculate. |
|
Bracteoles | variously shaped, margin entire or toothed, faces smooth or variously tuberculate. |
|
2n | = 36. |
|
Atriplex patula |
Atriplex subg. Atriplex |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–fall. | |
Habitat | Widespread ruderal weed of nonsaline substrates such as fields, gardens, and roadsides | |
Elevation | 0-2100 m (0-6900 ft) | |
Distribution |
AK; AL; CA; CO; DC; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MT; NC; ND; NH; NV; NY; OH; PA; RI; SD; UT; VA; VT; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; SK; YT; Europe; Asia; n Africa
|
|
Discussion | Atriplex patula appears to have been a rather recent introduction in North America from Eurasia, not arriving perhaps until sometime in the early to mid-eighteenth century. It simulates depauperate specimens of A. dioica, A. glabriuscula, and other similar species when leaves are reduced to a near-linear profile. Such specimens are difficult if not impossible to assign to any of the species. (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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 333. | FNA vol. 4, p. 331. |
Parent taxa | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Atriplex > sect. Teutliopsis | Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | A. hastata subsp. patula, A. hastata var. patula, Teutiopsis patula | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1053. (1753) | unknown |
Web links |
|