Distribution and Habitat: Gray molly usually occurs in saline or alkaline clay 

 soil on plains and foothills between 1,570 to 1,830 meters (4,500 to 6,000 feet). Its 

 range extends from southern Montana west to Oregon and south to New Mexico, Arizona 

 and California. 



Use: Kochia amevicana is quite widely used as winter forage by sheep when it is 

 sufficiently abundant (Kearney and Peebles 1960) . Sampson and Jespersen (1963) gave 

 this species a browse rating of fair to poor for sheep and goats; poor to useless for 

 deer; and useless for cattle and horses. In Utah, we have observed that Z. americana 

 ssp. vestita may be closely grazed by sheep and cattle on winter ranges. 



Gray molly appears to have usefulness in revegetation of areas with a high salt 

 concentration, particularly spent coal and oil shales. Trials are warranted on these 

 kinds of sites but, as far as is knoun, have not been carried out. 



Kochia prostrata (prostrate kochia) 



Prostrate kochia is generally a long-lived, highly variable, woody-based subshrub. 

 However, some ecotypes may be definite upright shrubs. It ranges from less than 0.3 

 meter to over 1 meter in height (fig. 40). Ascending branches are covered with short 

 to long woolly hairs. Leaves are flat, linear to filiform, and hairy. Flowers are 

 borne in small clusters (glomerules) in the axils of slightly reduced leaves on the 

 upper part of the stem. The perianth consists of a hairy, persistent calyx. As the 

 fruit develops, the calyx forms dorsal appendages around it that are rounded, flat and 

 tuberclelike, or oblong and winglike (Shishkin 1936). Blooming occurs from July to 

 September. Seeds of prostrate kochia number approximately 500,000 per pound (1,102/g) 

 (Keller and Bleak 1974) . 



32 



