Atriplex heterosperma

Bunge

Beitr. Fl. Russl., 272. 1852.

Common names: Russian atriplex
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 336. Mentioned on page 323, 324.

Herbs, monoecious, erect, branching from base, mostly 5–15 dm. Leaves alternate except proximalmost; petiole 2–3 cm; blade green on both sides, triangular to lance-triangular, 30–120 × 12–90 mm, hastate or subcuneate, margin subentire or irregularly dentate, farinaceous at first, finally glabrous. Flowers in terminal or axillary pyramidal panicles 6–25+ cm. Staminate flowers 5-merous, with bracteoles free to base. Pistillate flowers dimorphic, all bracteolate and lacking sepals. Fruiting bracteoles orbiculate-ovate, of 2 sizes; larger ones 5–6 × 5 mm; smaller ones 2 × 2 mm, margin entire, surfaces smooth. Seeds vertical; of larger bracteoles yellowish-brown, flat, 2–3 mm wide, dull; of smaller bracteoles black, 1.5 mm wide or less, shiny; radicle inferior, basal. 2n = 36.


Phenology: Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat: Riparian and palustrine (less commonly ruderal) habitats
Elevation: 0-2000 m

Distribution

V4 636-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; Alta., B.C., Man., Ont., Que., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Maine, Nebr., Nev., N.Y., Oreg., S.Dak., Utah, Wyo., Eurasia

Discussion

Russian atriplex occurs with greasewood, saltgrass, cottonwood, tamarix, and weedy annuals. It is a handsome, vigorous ruderal, weedy annual indigenous to Europe east to Chinese Turkestan that appears to be invading saline lowland and other disturbed areas throughout much of North America. It is similar to Atriplex prostrata from which it can be distinguished by the entire margin and smooth surfaces of the fruiting bracteoles. Additionally, the leaves are thick-textured and often bear one or more lobes or teeth irregularly along the blade above the subbasal main hastate lobe. The staminate spikes when young are very slender, mainly less than 2.5 mm thick.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Atriplex heterosperma"
Stanley L. Welsh +
slippery +
aromatic +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
subcuneate +, hastate +, triangular +  and lance-triangular +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
persistent +  and deciduous +
reddish-brown +, black +, brown +  and green +
linear +  and deltoid +
3-5-parted +
Russian atriplex +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Maine +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.Y. +, Oreg. +, S.Dak. +, Utah +, Wyo. +  and Eurasia +
0-2000 m +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
bracteolate +, pistillate +, 5-merous +  and staminate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
orbiculate-ovate +
smaller +  and larger +
not +  and connate +
enlarged +
Riparian and palustrine (less commonly ruderal) habitats +
bladderlike +
terminal +  and axillary +
deciduous +  and persistent +
not winged +  and winged +
glabrous +  and farinaceous +
dentate +  and subentire +
inferior +, half-inferior +  and superior +
crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +
1 +  and single +
persistent +  and deciduous +
(1-)3-5-lobed +
papery +  and chartaceous +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Flowering summer–fall. +
Beitr. Fl. Russl., +
basal +  and inferior +
bulbous +  and taprooted +
fusiform +
fleshy +  and fibrous +
verrucate +  and striate +
black +  and yellowish-brown +
shiny +  and dull +
flattened +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
Introduced +
cylindric +
3 +  and 5 +
opposite +  and alternate +
succulent +
sessile +  and petiolate +
reduced;small +
horizontal +  and vertical +
verrucate +
Hastatae +
Atriplex heterosperma +
Atriplex sect. Teutliopsis +
species +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
dicotyledonous +