Atriplex coronata var. vallicola

(Hoover) S. L. Welsh

Rhodora 102: 423. 2001.

Common names: Valley crownscale
EndemicConservation concern
Basionym: Atriplex vallicola Hoover Leafl. W. Bot. 2: 130. 1938
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 360.

Stems spreading, mainly 0.2–2 dm; basal branches and leaves typically opposite. Fruiting bracteoles thick, broadly deltoid to suborbiculate, flat to spheroid, 2–4 × 2.5–4 mm, united to middle, smooth to tuberculate or less commonly bicristate, with few large, irregular teeth at summit. Seeds dark-brown, 1–1.5 mm.


Phenology: Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat: Dried rain pools and flats, alkaline soils
Elevation: 200-400 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Atriplex coronata var. vallicola is often found with Atriplex polycarpa, Suaeda fruticosa, Allenrolfea occidentalis, Plantago insularis, Eremalche parryi, Bromus rubens, and Festuca spp. D. Taylor and D. H. Wilken (1993) noted that this variety intergrades with, and is perhaps best considered a subspecies of, Atriplex coronata. That observation in borne out by plants of both taxa from sites in Kern County, at least. The differences are subtle and subject to interpretation. Another choice would be to regard it as a synonym of A. coronata. Greenhouse-grown specimens and some individuals from mesic stands have elliptic, entire to serrate, leaves to 25 mm and 8 mm wide.

According to D. Taylor and D. H. Wilken (1993), plants from the San Joaquin Valley (Carrizo Plain) are undescribed and have the following characters: yellow-green scaly; leaves petiolate, blade ovate; fruiting bracteoles ± 3–4 mm, smooth.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

No values specified."/2" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."thick" is not a number.

acute +  and acuminate +
broadest +
Stanley L. Welsh +
(Hoover) S. L. Welsh +
slippery +
aromatic +
acute +  and obtuse +
Atriplex vallicola +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
lanceolate +  and elliptic +
persistent +  and deciduous +
reddish-brown +, black +, brown +  and green +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +
cuneate +  and ovate or obovate +
not crested +
3-5-parted +
Valley crownscale +
200-400 m +
smooth +  and tuberculate +
rarely +  and lacking +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
not +  and connate +
enlarged +
Dried rain pools and flats, alkaline soils +
bladderlike +
terminal +  and axillary +
deciduous +  and persistent +
not winged +  and winged +
lobed +  and serrate-dentate +
subsessile +, sessile +  and monomorphic +
hastate +  and ovate +
inferior +, half-inferior +  and superior +
crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +
1 +  and single +
persistent +  and deciduous +
(1-)3-5-lobed +
papery +  and chartaceous +
Flowering spring–fall. +
bulbous +  and taprooted +
fusiform +
fleshy +  and fibrous +
verrucate +  and striate +
dark-brown +
flattened +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
tuberculate;smooth +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
cylindric +
3 +  and 5 +
opposite +  and alternate +
succulent +
sessile +  and petiolate +
reduced;small +
horizontal +  and vertical +
verrucate +
Atriplex elegans var. coronata +  and Obione coronata +
Atriplex coronata var. vallicola +
Atriplex coronata +
variety +
smooth;tuberculate +
bicristate +, broadly deltoid +  and suborbiculate flat +
dicotyledonous +