Flora of North America species comparison

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Atriplex wolfii var. tenuissima

Atriplex wolfii var. wolfii
Photo is of parent taxon
Photo is of parent taxon

Wolf's orach
Stems

erect, intricately branched, 0.5–3 dm.

erect, intricately branched, mostly 1–3.5(–4.5) dm.
Leaves

proximalmost blade linear, 4–20 × 2–3 mm, distalmost blade bracteate, sometimes ovate or ovate-lanceolate, densely grayish scurfy.

proximalmost blade linear to linear-lanceolate or linear-elliptic, mainly 5–25 × 1–4 mm, tapering to slender base, densely grayish scurfy.
Staminate flowers

confined to a few distal axils.

mainly confined to distal axils.
Fruiting

bracteoles ovate or ovate-lanceolate in profile, (1.8–)2.3–2.7 × 1.5–2.1 mm, distal lobe typically larger and broader than lateral lobes, terminal tooth typically much largest or with this apparently displaced laterally.

bracteoles oblong-cuneate to obovate in profile, (1.8–)2–2.3 × 1.1–1.5 mm, terminal tooth reduced to mere cusp between larger lateral ones.

Atriplex wolfii var. tenuissima

Atriplex wolfii var. wolfii
Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Plants of saline bottoms, often in margins of marshy areas with salt grass, greasewood, and seepweed Saline areas growing with shadscale, seepweed, Russian thistle, fine-textured substrates
Elevation 1500-2300 m (4900-7500 ft) 2300 m (7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Specimens cited by H. M. Hall and F. E. Clements (1923) from central Utah within their concept of Atriplex wolfii in a strict sense have fruiting bracteoles in which the terminal, or apparently terminal, cusp is off-set from the median position, thus appearing to be lateral and lacking a terminal cusp. Other materials cited by them away from the south-central Colorado type locality of var. tenuissima bear bracteoles with a similar displacement of the terminal cusp. Hall and Clements placed such specimens within A. wolfii. Bracts of that type are unmatched among the materials of var. wolfii in southern Colorado. As interpreted here, the plants belong to var. tenuissima.

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

While H. M. Hall and F. E. Clements (1923) understandably mixed the two varieties in the specimen citations, they were right in recognition of a rather remarkable difference in bract structure.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 355. FNA vol. 4, p. 355.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Obione > sect. Obione > subsect. Wolfianae > Atriplex wolfii Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Obione > sect. Obione > subsect. Wolfianae > Atriplex wolfii
Sibling taxa
A. wolfii var. wolfii
A. wolfii var. tenuissima
Synonyms A. tenuissima, A. greenei, A. tenuissima var. greenei, Obione tenuissima
Name authority (A. Nelson) S. L. Welsh: Rhodora 102: 422. (2001) unknown
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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