84 AMARANTHACEAE (PIGWEED FAMILY) 



GG. Leaves linear. 

 H. Leaves flat, not fleshy, not spinelike. 



I. Stem not hairy, glabrous or slightly mealy; leaves mealy beneath; 

 flowers clustered or panicled, with 2-5-toothed or -parted perianth. (See 

 G.) 



II. Stem more or less villous-pubescent, not mealy; leaves not mealy; 

 flowers solitary in the axils of the reduced upper leaves, naked or with 

 i perianth segment. E. (Gk. koris = a bug, sperma = a seed; the 

 seed is buglike in appearance.) Corispermum (BUGSEED) 



HH. Leaves somewhat terete or angular, sometimes fleshy or spinelike. 

 J. Leaves rigid and prickly-pointed, making the plant prickly to the 

 touch; tumbleweed. W. E. A bad weed, very common in wheat 

 fields. (Diminutive of L. salstis = salt; because most of the species 

 grow in saline soil.) Salsola kali (RUSSIAN THISTLE) 



JJ. Leaves not pricklelike; plant not prickly to the touch, not a tumble- 

 weed. 



K. Stem glabrous or somewhat pubescent; perianth not hairy; styles 

 2-4. Suaeda (SEA ELITE) 



KK. Stem more or less villous-tomentose; perianth densely white- to- 

 mentose; style i. E. (Honor of W. D. J. Koch, a German botanist.) 



Kochia americana (WHITE SAGE) 



DD. Shrubs; leaves entire; flowers unisexual; fertile flowers without perianth. 



L. Plant densely white-tomentose with stellate hairs, not spinescent; bracts of 



fruit with 4 tufts of long hairs; pericarp hairy. E. (Gk. euros = mold; 



referring to the white-hairy herbage.) Eurotia lanata (WINTER FAT) 



LL. Plant not hairy as above, spinescent (except A triplex nuttallii); pericarp 



glabrous. 



M. Leaves linear, quite fleshy, somewhat terete; perianth present in pistillate 

 flowers but not in staminate. E. (Gk. sarkos = flesh, batos = a bramble; 

 referring to the fleshy leaves and thorny stems.) 



Sarcobatus vermiculatus (GREASEWOOD) 



MM. Leaves wider than linear, not or only slightly fleshy, flat, not terete; 

 perianth present in staminate flowers but not in pistillate. 

 N. Leaves 12-31 mm. long; plant spiny; bracts obcompressed, in fruit united 

 into a sac; perianth segments of staminate flowers 4. E. (Honor of Asa 

 Gray, an American botanist.) Grayia spinosa (HOP SAGE) 



NN. Either leaves only 4-17 mm. long or plant not spiny ; bracts compressed, 

 in fruit united but not to the top; perianth segments of staminate flowers 5. 

 (See F.) ATRIPLEX (ATRIPLEX) 



AA. Leaves almost none or mere scales, opposite; branches opposite; stems con- 

 spicuously jointed, very fleshy. W. (L. sal = salt, cornu = a horn; salt 

 plants with hornlike branches.) Salicornia ambigua (SALT-HORN) 



AMARANTHACEAE (PIGWEED FAMILY) 



Annual herbs. Leaves alternate, simple. Flowers imperfect, 

 small, green or white or purplish, with scarious bractlets, variously 

 grouped. Perianth herbaceous or membranous, scarious, 2-5- 



