76 CHENOPODIACEAE 



8. ATRIPLEX L. Sp. PI. 1052. 1753. 



Herbs or shrubs, often scurfy, farinose or canescent with inflated hairs. Leaves alter- 

 nate or opposite, sessile or petioled. Flowers small, green, dioecious or monoecious, in 

 axillary glomerules or panicled spikes, the staminate and pistillate in the same or separate 

 glomerules. Staminate flowers without bracts ; calyx 3-5-parted ; stamens 3-5. Pistillate 

 flowers 2-bracteolate, the bracts free or often united at least at base, accrescent and en- 

 closing the fruit ; perianth none ; stigmas 2. Utricle with a membranous pericarp usually 

 free from the seed, seed erect or inverted, rarely horizontal ; embryo annular, surround- 

 ing the scanty endosperm. [The ancient Latin name.] 



About 140 species, of wide geographic distribution. Type species, Atriplex hortensis L. 



Flowers monoecious; annuals or herbaceous perennials (a few species suffrutescent at base). 

 Annuals (except A. Coulteri and A. Davidsonii). 



Radicle of the embryo pointing downward (inferior). 



Pistillate flowers of 2 kinds, some with 3-5-lobed calyx and bractless, others without calyx but 



2-bracted. I- Hortenses. 



Pistillate flowers all alike, enclosed in 2 bracts. 



Leaves entire or only the lowest dentate; usually green and glabrous or only sparsely fur- 



furaceous. II- Hastatae. 



Leaves usually all toothed and densely furfuraceous. III. Roseae. 



Radicle pointing upward. 



Plants glabrous or nearly so, fleshy. IV. Phyllostegiae. 



Plants furfuraceous, usually densely so. 

 Fruiting bracts not orbicular. 



Bracts broadest at or near the middle, usually rounded or truncate at the apex. 

 Leaves deltoid. 



Bracts toothed only at the truncate apex, 2-3 mm. long. 



V. Truncatae. 



Bracts toothed well below the middle, often to the base, 3-8 mm. long. 



VI. Argenteae. 



Leaves never deltoid, usually broadest at or above the middle. 



VII. Arenariae. 



Bracts broadest near the base, ovate or hastate, acute at the apex. 



VIII. Pusillae. 



Fruiting bracts orbicular, toothed all around, small. IX. Elegantes. 



Perennials, the stems entirely herbaceous or suffrutescent. 



Bracts distinct, entire; stems herbaceous, from a fleshy root. X. Californicae. 



Bracts united at least at the base. 



Fruiting bracts fleshy, reddish. XI. Semibaccatae. 



Fruiting bracts not fleshy, appendaged on the sides. XII. Leucophyllae. 



Flowers dioecious, or occasionally a few pistillate flowers occur on a staminate plant. 



Leaves all or mainly all opposite; prostrate perennial herbs. XIII. Watsoniae. 



Leaves alternate or the lowest opposite; shrubs or undershrubs. 



Bracts not longitudinally 4-winged. 



Leaves dentate; bracts entire. XIV. Hymenelytrae. 



Leaves entire or merely undulate. 



Plants tall shrubs, seldom less than 1 m. high. 



Fruiting bracts orbicular or nearly so, 4 mm. or less in length. 



Bracts deeply laciniate-dentate; leaves narrow. XV. Polycarpae. 



Bracts entire, shallowly crenate or sinuate-dentate. XVI. Lentiformes. 



Fruiting bracts much longer than broad, 5 mm. or more in length. 



XVII. Confertifoliae. 



Plants low, usually less than 6 dm. high, woody only toward the base. 



XVIII. NUTTALLIANAE. 



Bracts conspicuously longitudinally 4-winged. XIX. Canescentes. 



I. Hortenses. 



Represented by a single species. 1. A. hortensis. 



II. Hastatae. 



Fruiting bracts entire, their sides essentially smooth; plants finely farinose. 



Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate; bracts 4—12 mm. long; plants mostly decumbent. 



2. A. Gmelinii. 

 Leaves deltoid to rhombic-ovate; bracts 3 mm. long; plants erect. 3. A. joaquiniana. 



Fruiting bracts toothed on the margins, their sides more or less tuberculate; plants bright green and little or 

 not at all farinose. 

 Lower leaves rhombic-lanceolate to oblong; bracts cuneate or slightly rounded at base. 



4. A. patula. 

 Lower leaves triangular-hastate or deltoid; bracts truncate or broadly rounded at base. 



5. A. ha st at a. 



III. Roseae. 



Represented by the single species. 6. A. rosea. 



IV. Phyllostegiae. 



Represented by one species. 7. A. Phyllostegia. 



