Atriplex leucophylla
Encyclopedia
Atriplex leucophylla is a species of saltbush
known by the common names beach saltbush and white orache. It is native to the coastline of California
and Baja California
, and the Channel Islands
, where it is a resident of beach dunes and other sandy areas.
The plants are monoecious
, with individuals producing male and female flowers. The staminate
(male) flowers grow in rounded clusters and lack bract
s. The pistillate
(female) flowers are oval or round ovaries surrounded by spongy bracts. They develop into fruits containing small seeds.
Atriplex
Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments...
known by the common names beach saltbush and white orache. It is native to the coastline of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, and the Channel Islands
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
, where it is a resident of beach dunes and other sandy areas.
Description
This is a short, sprawling perennial herb reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The branching stems grow along the ground or slightly upright and may be up to a meter- 3 feet long. The plentiful leaves are oval in shape and are 1 to 4 centimeters long. The foliage and sometimes the stems are rough with whitish scaly surfaces.The plants are monoecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with individuals producing male and female flowers. The staminate
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
(male) flowers grow in rounded clusters and lack bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. The pistillate
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
(female) flowers are oval or round ovaries surrounded by spongy bracts. They develop into fruits containing small seeds.