Spirosinchys. CIIEXOPODIACE.E. ^^ 



fleshy albumen : radicle inferior. — Low branching pale-green annuals; leaves alter- 

 nate, sessile, mostly narrow ; flowers spicate, solitary in the axils of reduced bracts. 



A genus of 8 or 10 .species, of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a single speeies also American. 

 1. C. hyssopifolium, Linn. Somewhat iloccose- or villous-pubescent, at least 

 when young, ^ to H feet high, erect, rather rigid : leaves linear, f to 1^ inches 

 long, cuspidate ; the lloral bracts from linear-lanceolate to ovate, membranously mar- 

 gine<.l : spikes short and close, becoming more or less elongated : central stamen 

 longest, the lateral ones partially develoi)ed or wanting: fruit broadly elliptical, H 

 or 2 lines long, narrowly winged, obtuse, often mucronate with the i)ersistent styles". 



A variahle species of wide range, found from Point Barrows and tlic moutli of the Mackenzie 

 to tlio Colninliia and N. Illinois, and soutliward through tlie interior to Ciiihualuui and New 

 Mexico ; not dillering from Old World forms. 



11. SALICORNIA, Tourn. Gi.Assworir. SAMriiiiiE. 

 Flowers mostly perfe(;t, deeply sunk by threes in the rhachis of the jointed 

 spike, in the axils of cup-shaped decussately opposite bracts, the lateral ones of each 

 cluster lower and often only staminate. Calyx a fleshy rhoniboidal sac with an 

 anterior opening (or formetl by two bracts united above and below), enclosing the 

 flower and fruit, adherent by a narrow line to the rhachis, at length thickened and 

 spongy and finally deciduous. Stamens 1 or 2, with large oblong anthers on short 

 filaments, exserted in flower. Styles 2 or 3, short. Pericarp mendjranous, adherent 

 to the vertical obovate-oblong seed. Albumen very small, lateral : embryo folded, 

 thick, gi-een : radicle inferior. — Low fleshy leafless saline plants, mostly herbaceous, 

 with oppositely branched jointed stems ; spikes cylindrical. 



Eight species or more arc recognized, distributed over most sea-coasts excepting on the Asiatic 

 side of the I'aeific, and in saline localities. The specific characters arc obscure, especially in 

 dried specimens, and tlie species are not easily defuied. 



1. S. ambigua, ]\Iichx. Perennial and somewhat woody at base, the stems 

 decumbent and rooting at the joints or ascending, a half to a foot long or more, 

 with slender mostly simple branches : spikes slender (usually narrower than the 

 stem), \ to 1 inch long, short-jointed, with short acute or acutish bracts : flowers 

 nearly etpial in height and in fruit nearly cfpialling the joint : seed pubescent, J line 

 long. — Watson, Kev. Chenop. 125. yirtlirornemiim amhifjiinm iK: A. fniticoaum, 

 var. Cnlifornicum, Moquin in DC. Prodr. xiii^. 151. S. fnitiami. var. amhigna, 

 Gray, Manual, 410. 



On the sea-coast from Oregon to San Francisco, and on the Atlantic side from New England to 

 Florida ; resembling S. frutkosa of the Old World. 



S. iiEitBACEA, Linn. A low annual, erect, branching, with longer jointed spikes ; the middle 

 flower twice higher than the lateral ones. — It is reported as collected in Oregon, and occurs in 

 saline localities in the interior and on the eastern coast ; may be found in N. E. California. 



12. SPIROSTACHYS, Ungern-Stemberg. 

 Flowers perfect, densely spiked, by threes in the axils of spirally ranked fleshy 

 sessile bracts. Perianth of 4 (rarely 5) concave carinate sepals, imbricated and more 

 or less united, becoming somewhat spongy and covering the fruit. Stamens 1 or 2 : 

 filaments slender, at length exserted. Styles 2, rarely 3, usually distinct. Fruit 

 oblong, with membranous free pericarp. Seed vertical, oblong, with double mem- 

 branous testa. Embryo green, nearly surrounding the rather co])ious albumen : 

 radicle inferior : cotyledons short. — Saline shrubs, with alternate naked branches, 



