The Jepson Herbarium
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Generally monoecious annual, to generally dioecious shrub, generally scaly.
Leaf: generally alternate, distal ± reduced; blade entire to variously dentate or lobed.
Inflorescence: axillary or terminal.
Staminate inflorescence: spheric cluster to spike-like or panicle; bracts 0.
Pistillate inflorescence: cluster to spike- or panicle-like, occasionally 1; bracts 2 per fruit, enlarged in age, free to variously fused, generally compressed, generally sessile, falling with fruit (or not).
Staminate flower: calyx lobes 3–5; stamens 3–5.
Pistillate flower: calyx generally ± 0; stigmas 2.
Seed: generally erect.
± 250 species: temperate to subtrop worldwide. (Latin: name derived from Greek) [Welsh 2003 FNANM 4:322–381] Generally in alkaline or saline soils; some weedy; some accumulate selenium. Bract descriptions refer to 2 bracts surrounding flower, enlarging in fruit. Australian Atriplex crassipes J.M. Black possibly in SCo. In revised taxonomy, too late for full treatment here, Atriplex californica, Atriplex joaquinana moved to Extriplex, Atriplex covillei to Stutzia, both new genera [Zacharias & Baldwin 2010 Syst Bot 35(4):839–857].

Key to Atriplex

1. Shrub or subshrub; main stem clearly woody

2. Lf length generally > 5 × width, margins entire; fruit bracts together 4-winged or tips long, tubercles in vertical rows; branch tips not spiny

3. Fr bract tips long, tubercles in vertical rows; shrub or subshrub 1–6 dm ..... A. gardneri var. falcata

3' Fr bract together 4-winged from base to tip, tubercles 0; shrub 3–25 dm

4. Twigs generally slender; shrub 10–25 dm; leaves 10–35 mm, 1–3 mm wide; fruit bracts 4–8 mm, 4–6 mm wide ..... A. canescens var. linearis

4' Twigs generally not slender; shrub 3–20 dm; leaves 10–50 mm, 2–8 mm wide; fruit bracts 4–25 mm, 4–12 mm wide

5. Fr bracts entire to dentate; widespread ..... A. canescens var. canescens

5' Fr bracts irregularly to deeply sharp-dentate; s CA

6. Plant generally 10–20 dm; fruit bract 6–12 mm, deeply sharp-dentate ..... A. canescens var. laciniata

6' Plant generally 3–15 dm; fruit bract 4–8 mm, irregularly dentate ..... A. canescens var. macilenta

2' Lf length < 5 × width, margins entire to dentate; fruit bracts not 4-winged, tubercled or not; branch tips spiny or not

7. Branch tips not spiny

8. Lf margin sharply dentate; shrub 3–10 dm; fruit bracts free — SNE, D ..... A. hymenelytra

8' Lf margin entire to wavy or irregular-sparsely dentate; shrub or subshrub <= 40 dm; fruit bracts free to fused above middle

9. Shrub or subshrub < 5 dm; branches ascending to erect; leaf sessile — SCo, WTR; stem prostrate ..... A. glauca

9' Shrub <= 40 dm; branches spreading to erect; leaf sessile to petioled

10. Plant < 15 dm; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to ovate, oblong to hastate ..... A. amnicola

10' Plant 8–40 dm; leaf blade ovate to deltate (± hastate)

11. Fr bracts 4.5–9(12) mm, round to ± reniform, generally tubercled ..... A. nummularia

11' Fr bracts 2–6 mm, ovate to round or ± spheric, smooth

12. Twigs generally smooth, not striate ..... A. lentiformis (2)

12' Twigs generally sharp-angled, striate ..... A. torreyi var. torreyi (2)

7' Branch tips spiny — generally stiffly spreading

13. Fr bracts 5–20(24) mm, margins wide, leaf-like

14. Fr bracts ± free, wide-elliptic to ± round, few-dentate proximally, entire distally ..... A. confertifolia

14' Fr bracts fused ± to middle around fruit, entire and spheric proximally, compressed and irregularly dentate distally ..... A. spinifera

13' Fr bracts 2–6 mm, margins not wide and leaf-like

15. Distal leaves generally sessile to clasping ..... A. parryi

15' Distal leaves generally ± sessile to short-petioled

16. Lf blade oblong to narrowly oblanceolate, 2–4 mm wide ..... A. polycarpa

16' Lf blade ovate to deltate or ± hastate, 10–50 mm wide

17. Twigs generally smooth, not striate ..... A. lentiformis (2)

17' Twigs generally sharp-angled, striate ..... A. torreyi var. torreyi (2)

1' Perennial or annual; main stem herbaceous to ± woody at base

18. Perennial

19. St generally erect; leaves entire

20. Fr bracts 2–3 mm, obovate; coastal ..... A. coulteri (2)

20' Fr bracts 3–5 mm, obovate to fan-shaped to ± spheric, inland ..... A. fruticulosa (3)

19' St generally prostrate to decumbent; leaves entire to dentate, wavy-dentate, or crenate

21. Lf bases long-tapered to short-petioled, entire to wavy-dentate, dentate, or crenate

22. Fr bracts thin; leaves generally serrate ..... A. suberecta (2)

22' Fr bracts spongy or fleshy; leaves entire to wavy-dentate

23. Fr bract spongy ..... A. lindleyi (2)

23' Fr bract fleshy, ± red ..... A. semibaccata

21' Lvs generally sessile, entire

24. Fr bracts ± free, entire ..... A. californica

24' Fr bracts fused proximally to distally, entire to dentate or crenate

25. Fr bracts dentate distally; leaves lanceolate to elliptic

26. Fr bracts 2–3 mm, obovate; coastal ..... A. coulteri (2)

26' Fr bracts 3–5 mm, obovate to fan-shaped to ± spheric; inland ..... A. fruticulosa (3)

25' Fr bracts entire to shallowly dentate throughout; leaves elliptic to ovate

27. Fr bracts ± spongy, ± spheric; not mat-like ..... A. leucophylla

27' Fr bracts thin, not spongy, ovate to diamond-shaped; generally mat-like ..... A. watsonii

18' Annual

28. Lvs generally green, glabrous to sparsely powdery or fine-scaly

29. Pistillate flowers of 2 kinds; fruit bracts wide-elliptic to ± round, smooth, net-veined; seeds vertical between bracts, or horizontal in calyx ..... A. hortensis

29' Pistillate flowers of 1 kind; fruit bracts generally not wide-elliptic to ± round, smooth to tubercled or ribbed, not net-veined; seeds vertical between bracts

30. Fr bracts fused proximally, dentate distally; staminate flowers in clusters of elongated terminal spikes or panicles ..... A. serenana var. serenana (2)

30' Fr bracts free to fused proximally, entire to dentate proximally; staminate, pistillate flowers mixed or staminate flowers in short spikes

31. Fr bracts entire, ± round ..... A. micrantha

31' Fr bracts entire to variously dentate, not ± round

32. Fr bracts entire, lobes basal ..... A. covillei

32' Fr bracts entire to few-dentate or dentate

33. Fr bracts few-dentate to dentate

34. Lvs triangular-hastate; fruit bract surfaces generally tubercled ..... A. prostrata (2)

34' Lvs linear to triangular-ovate; fruit bracts smooth or 2-tubercled

35. Brown seeds elliptic, wider than long; fruit bracts smooth or 2-tubercled — leaves generally thickened, ± scaly ..... A. dioica

35' Brown seeds round; fruit bracts smooth ..... A. patula

33' Fr bracts entire

36. Seeds of 1 kind; fruit bract ribbed — fruit bracts 2–4 mm; leaves narrowly elliptic to deltate ..... A. joaquinana (2)

36' Seeds of 2 kinds; fruit bract not ribbed

37. Fr bracts 4–12(25) mm, margins entire; leaves linear to lanceolate ..... A. gmelinii var. gmelinii

37' Fr bracts 3–7 mm, margins entire to finely dentate; leaves triangular-hastate ..... A. prostrata (2)

28' Lvs ± gray- or ± white-green, densely fine-scaly

38. Fr bracts free to fused proximally — stem generally striate; fruit bracts ribbed; inflorescence spike- or panicle-like, terminal, dense ..... A. joaquinana (2)

38' Fr bracts fused ± proximally to near tip

39. Fr bract widest proximally, generally ovate to deltate or diamond-shaped

40. Lvs coarsely wavy-dentate, distal entire — fruit bracts hard; leaves densely fine-scaly abaxially, ± green adaxially, red in age ..... A. rosea

40' Lvs generally all entire

41. St 0–few-branched, ascending to erect, 1–8 dm; fruit bracts 2.5–5 mm

42. Base of proximal leaf blades rounded; fruit bracts 2.5–3.5 mm; s SnJV (Kern Lake bed) ..... A. tularensis

42' Base of proximal leaf blades cordate; fruit bracts 3–5 mm; GV ..... A. cordulata

43. Fr bracts deltate-ovate, central tooth generally > others; GV ..... var. cordulata

43' Fr bracts deltate to fan-shaped, central tooth generally <= others; SnJV ..... var. erecticaulis

41' St many-branched, prostrate to erect, < 4 dm; fruit bracts 1–4 mm

44. Fr bracts 1–2 mm, entire, surfaces smooth; GB — stems < 1.5 mm thick ..... A. pusilla

44' Fr bracts 2–4 mm, entire to few-dentate, surfaces smooth or tubercled; GV, SCo, PR

45. Staminate flower clusters terminal, pistillate flower clusters axillary ..... A. persistens (2)

45' Staminate flower clusters axillary, or staminate and pistillate flowers mixed, generally in axillary clusters

46. St woolly near tips; leaves generally opposite; SCo, PR ..... A. parishii

46' St glabrous to densely scaly near tips; leaves alternate or opposite; GV, SnJV

47. Lvs generally alternate; fruit bracts smooth; SnJV ..... A. minuscula

47' Lvs generally opposite; fruit bracts generally tubercled; GV

48. Fr bracts generally tubercled on side facing stem ..... A. depressa

48' Fr bracts generally tubercled on both surfaces — branches widely spreading ..... A. subtilis

39' Fr bracts generally widest at middle or distally, fan- to wedge-shaped or ± round

49. Staminate flowers in terminal clusters, pistillate flowers in axillary clusters

50. Plant prostrate to decumbent; fruit bracts 1–1.5 mm ..... A. pacifica

50' Plant erect to decumbent (spreading); fruit bracts >= 2 mm

51. Plant < 3(5) dm; fruit bracts 3–5 mm; leaves entire

52. Lvs ovate to elliptic, 2–5 mm ..... A. persistens (2)

52' Lvs narrowly lanceolate to elliptic, 5–12(24) mm ..... A. fruticulosa (3)

51' Plant 3–10 dm; fruit bracts 2–3.5 mm; leaves irregularly dentate (entire) ..... A. serenana

53. Lf blades 5–20 mm; staminate inflorescence spheric, short; s SCo ..... var. davidsonii

53' Lf blades 10–50 mm; staminate inflorescence spike or panicle, elongate; widespread ..... var. serenana (2)

49' Staminate flowers in axillary clusters, or staminate and pistillate flowers mixed, generally in axillary clusters

54. Fr bracts spongy, 5–12 mm, obconic to ± spheric — s SCo ..... A. lindleyi (2)

54' Fr bracts not spongy, 2–6(8) mm, wedge-shaped to round, generally compressed, or if spheric, then densely tubercled

55. Fr bracts round, crenate, ± dentate to cut ..... A. elegans

56. Fr bracts deeply dentate to cut, teeth 0.5–1 mm wide ..... var. elegans

56' Fr bracts minutely crenate to finely dentate, teeth 0.3–0.5 mm wide ..... var. fasciculata

55' Fr bracts generally wedge-shaped to obovate or ± spheric, entire proximally, dentate distally

57. Fr bract tip ± truncate to notched, 3–5-dentate — generally SNE, DMoj, including edges ..... A. truncata

57' Fr bract tip acute to rounded in outline

58. Lf margin coarsely serrate ..... A. suberecta (2)

58' Lf margin entire, wavy or flat

59. Lf blade base ± obtuse to tapered; fruit bracts 2.5–6 mm, fused proximally ..... A. coronata

60. Fr bracts 2.5–4 mm, ± 2.5–4 mm wide ..... var. vallicola

60' Fr bracts 4.5–6 mm, 3–5 mm wide

61. St decumbent to ascending; fruit bracts together ± compressed, tubercles generally few, generally < marginal teeth ..... var. coronata

61' St ± erect; fruit bracts together ± spheric, tubercles dense, generally ± = marginal teeth ..... var. notatior

59' Lf blade base generally ± hastate to tapering; fruit bracts 4–8 mm, fused to near tip ..... A. argentea

62. St decumbent to erect, 15–30 cm; fruit bracts sessile

63. Lvs sessile or proximal petioled; stems, leaves scaly, inflated hairs not elongate ..... var. hillmanii

63' Lvs generally sessile; stems, leaves, fruit bracts densely scaly, with elongate inflated hairs ..... var. longitrichoma

62' St erect, 30–80 cm; fruit bracts short-stalked

64. Distal leaves short-petioled; most proximal leaves alternate; GB, DMoj ..... var. argentea

64' Distal leaves sessile; most proximal leaves opposite; GV, CCo, e SnFrB, SW, D ..... var. expansa

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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