A. PATULA. 



249 



and pistillate usually in the same small clusters; perianth 4- or 5-cleft, wanting in all of 

 the pistillate flowers; fruiting bracts sessile or stalked, not much compressed, sometimes 

 thickened and spongious (especially in subspecies alaskensis), united only near the base, 

 broadly deltoid to linear, 3 to 12 mm. long, about as wide, herbaceous, becoming slightly 

 hardened in only one variant (subspecies glahriuscula) , the broad free margins entire or 

 sparsely denticulate, the faces smooth or muricate or with clustered tubercles, often 

 with prominent veins; seed 1 to 3 or rarely 4 mm. long, dark brown or black; radicle 

 inferior. 



In saline soil and in salt marshes throughout North America, except possibly in north- 

 central Canada and southern Mexico; also in Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. 



SUBSPECIES. 

 The variable characters in A. patula are so numerous that it is difficult to make a 

 selection of those that lead to the assembling of the most closely related variations into 

 natural subspecies. It is believed, however, that a primary division based upon the 

 width and dentation of the margins of the fruiting bracts is the most reliable. While 

 this feature is generally applicable, warning should be given that the teeth are some- 

 times so minute as to be easily overlooked, and occasionally the assemblage of other 

 features indicates that a plant with entire bracts belongs to a subspecies with usually 

 dentate bracts, and vice versa. There seems to be no method of escaping this condition 

 in a species so given to individual variation. Shape of leaf, and its corresponding 

 expression in the modified leaves called bracts, is a useful secondary character. Any 

 considerable increase in the number of recognized subspecies doubtless would lead to a 

 confusion comparable to that obtaining in the European literature on the species, since 

 it would necessitate the use of single-character criteria. The most notable minor 

 variation, and one which perhaps will require subspecific rank when the constancy of 

 its characters are better known, is A. carnosa Nelson, which may be synonymous with 

 the earlier names, Chenopodium subspicatum Nuttall and Atriplex lapathifolia Rydberg. 



Key to the Subspecies oj Atriplex patiUa. 

 Bncts with narrow toothed margins, the teeth sometimes very small and sparse. 



Leaf-blades in part triangular-hastate or rhomboidal, with basal angles or lobes; 

 bracts truncate or broadly rounded at base. 



Inflorescence not leafy, spicate-paniculate; leaves mostly large (a) hastata (p. 249). 



Inflorescence leafy, each glomerule in axil of a well-developed leaf; leaves small. . (b) glahriuscula (p. 250). 

 Leaf-blades lanceolate or oblong to linear, not hastate; bracts more often narrowly 

 rounded or broadly cuneate at base. 



Blades lanceolate or oblong; bracts usually smooth on the face (c) lypica (p. 251). 



Blades linear; bracts tubercled on the face (d) litoralis (p. 251). 



Bracts with wider entire margins. 



Bracts small, about 3 mm. long; leaves ovate-rhombic, coarsely toothed («) spicaia (p. 251). 



Bracts larger, 4 to 12 or even 20 mm. long; leaves narrower, entire or shallowly toothed. 

 Base of bract not especially thickened nor spongious. 



Bracts ovate or rhomboidal; leaves mostly lance-oblong or the upper ones 



hnear (/) obtusa (p. 252). 



Bracts hnear; leaves Unear (?) zosteraefoha (p. 252). 



Base of bract much thickened, spongious i.h) alaskensis (p. 253). 



2a. Atriplex patula hastata (Linnaeus). — Plant usually erect and the branches as- 

 cending, but the lower ones sometimes decumbent, strict and with few short branches 

 in dwarf forms, widely branched and up to 15 dm. high in luxuriant forms of better 

 soil or where protected; leaves large, petioled; blade deltoid or triangular, commonly 

 hastate at base, sinuate-dentate to entire, rarely laciniate-dentate (thick, firm, and 

 less obviously hastate in minor variation 3, A. carnosa Nelson); glomerules scattered 

 along the spike-like branches of a terminal panicle (densely spicate and persistent in 

 minor variation 3) ; fruiting bracts ovate or triangular, 3 to 7 mm. long, broadly rounded 

 or truncate at base, the margins usually with a few tooth-like projections, rarely more 

 deeply dentate, the face commonly tuberculate. {A. hastata Linnaeus, Sp. PL, 1053, 



