Atriplex phyllostegia
Encyclopedia
Atriplex phyllostegia is a species of saltbush
known by the common names arrowscale, leafcover saltweed, and Truckee orach. It is native to the western United States from California
to Utah
, where it grows in meadow bottoms and areas with saline soils such as dry or ephemeral lakes.
, although some individuals bear only female flowers.
Male and female flowers appear in the leaf axils, and the male flowers are sometimes borne in spikelike inflorescence
s. The female flower clusters are enclosed in bract
eoles which may be up to 2 centimeters long and resemble the leaves.
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 arrowscale, leafcover saltweed, and Truckee orach. It is native to the western United States from 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...
to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, where it grows in meadow bottoms and areas with saline soils such as dry or ephemeral lakes.
Description
This is an annual herb with a mainly erect branching green stem growing up to 40 centimeters tall. The distinctive leaves are fleshy and diamond or arrowhead-shaped and 1 to 4 centimeters long. The plant is generally monoeciousPlant 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....
, although some individuals bear only female flowers.
Male and female flowers appear in the leaf axils, and the male flowers are sometimes borne in spikelike inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s. The female flower clusters are enclosed in 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...
eoles which may be up to 2 centimeters long and resemble the leaves.