About 200 species, mostly in temperate and subtropical regions; ours mostly in 

 saline or alkaline soils in desertic regions. 



The seeds of most species are eaten by various birds and small mammals, and 

 the twigs and foliage are nibbled and browsed by rabbits, deer and antelope. 

 Because of their tolerance to adverse conditions, the plants also provide cover 

 for wildlife in areas often sparsely covered by other types of vegetation. 



1. Tall dioecious intricate shrubs, seldom less than 1 m. tall, the entire plant 

 grayish-green and glaucous; leaves short-petiolate, ovate-deltoid to 

 oblong-subquadrate, entire or merely slightly undulate, occasionally 

 subhastate, 1.5-4 cm. long 1. A. lentiformis. 



1. Annual or sometimes perennial monoecious herbs, rarely more than 1 m. tall, 



the entire plant green to whitish, occasionally tinged (at least in 

 part) with red; leaves various, often sinuate- or repand-dentate (2) 



2(1). Perennial, the prostrate whitish stems much-branched; leaves oblong to 

 oblong-obovate, 1-3.5 cm. long; fruiting bracts with nerved sides, 

 becoming red and succulent at maturity 2. A. semihaccata. 



2. Annuals, the stems erect to procumbent; leaves triangular to oblong-lanceolate, 



often with some hastate; fruiting bracts not nerved nor succulent 

 at maturity (3) 



3(2). Fruiting bracts ovate to broadly oval, 7-18 mm. long, united at the base, 

 rounded to acute at apex, entire to merely denticulate, smooth on 

 the sides, sometimes tinged reddish 3. A. hortensis. 



3. Fruiting bracts rhombic-oval to obovate or suborbicular, 2-7 mm. long, acute 



to acutish at apex, dentate to denticulate, usually somewhat tuber- 

 culate on the sides, typically without a reddish tinge (4) 



4(3). Petioles of lower leaves about one half as long as the blades; fruiting bracts 

 united only at the truncate or rounded base, denticulate; radicle 

 inferior 4. A. patula var. hastata. 



4. Petioles of lower leaves much less than one half as long as blades; fruiting 



bracts united to near the apex, dentate; radicle superior 



5. A. argentea. 



1. Atriplex lentiformis (Torr.) Wats. Quail-brush, lens-scale, w^ite-thistle. 



Erect much-branched dioecious shrub 1-3 m. tall; branches spreading, rather 

 slender, not spinose, terete, densely furfuraceous, becoming glabrate and whitish 

 in age; leaves short-petioled, ovate-deltoid to oblong, sometimes subhastate, mostly 

 15-40 mm. long, rounded or broadly cuneate at base, obtuse to truncate at apex, 

 rather thin, densely furfuraceous on both sides; staminate flowers in paniculate 

 spikes, nearly naked and the branches slender, often drooping; pistillate flowers in 

 dense paniculate spikes; fruiting bracts ovate-orbicular, 3-4 mm. long, strongly 

 compressed, united to above the middle, the margins finely crenulate, thin, fur- 

 furaceous. 



In saline marshes and in effluent of sewage plants, in Ariz. (Coconino and 

 Mohave, s. to Pima and Yuma cos.), July-Oct.; s. Ut. and Nev. to Ariz., Son. and 

 Calif. 



2. Atriplex semibaccata R. Br. Australian saltbush. 



Perennial herb from a woody elongated taproot; stems prostrate, diffusely 

 spreading from the base. 6-12 dm. long, woody below, much-branched, the slender 

 branches terete and 3-10 dm. long, whitish, sparsely furfuraceous or glabrate; 

 leaves numerous, alternate, short-petioled; blades oblong or obovate-oblong, 1-3.5 

 cm. long, 2-9 mm. wide, obtuse or acute, cuneate to attenuate at the base, 

 remotely repand-dentate or the upper ones entire, thin, densely and finely white- 

 furfuraceous beneath, usually glabrate and green on the upper surface; flowers of 



850 



