Key to Chenopodiaceae

View taxon page for Chenopodiaceae

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Stems jointed, ± fleshy or succulent; leaves scale-like

2. Leaves 

alternate 

1. Arranged singly, often spirally, along an axis - e.g., one leaf per node. 2. Occurring in different ranks, appearing to be between, not directly above or below, as 'stamens alternate petals'.

; shrub ..... ALLENROLFEA

2' Leaves 

opposite 

1. Arranged in pairs along an axis - e.g., two leaves per node. 2. Occurring in the same rank, directly above or below, as 'stamens opposite petals'. 3. Located directly across from.

; annual to subshrub

3. Annual ..... SALICORNIA (2)

3' Subshrub, woody stems sometimes buried by tidal action

4. Inflorescence axis bearing flowers to tip, not resuming vegetative growth after flowering; flowers sunken in fleshy tissue of distal 

internode 

Segment of an axis (generally a stem) between successive positions (nodes) from which one or more structures (especially leaves, buds, branches, or flowers) arise.

, adherent to each other and to subtending bracts; seed with hooked hairs ..... SALICORNIA (2)

4' Inflorescence axis often distally sterile, ± abruptly 

tapered 

Gradually (not abruptly) narrower or smaller at base or tip.

, sometimes resuming vegetative growth after flowering; flowers sunken in axis, free from each other and distal 

bract 

Reduced, leaf- or scale-like structure subtending a branch, cone scale, peduncle, pedicel, or flower.

; seed glabrous ..... ARTHROCNEMUM

1' Stems not jointed, generally not fleshy; leaves well developed

5. Leaves ± semicylindric, generally fleshy (except Neokochia)

6. Leaves or inflorescence bracts bristle- or spine-tipped

7. Leaves, inflorescence bracts 

cylindric 

Elongate, with parallel sides and, at any point, round in transverse section.

or club-shaped, abruptly bristle-tipped; tips of sepals winged in fruit ..... HALOGETON

7' Leaves thread-like to ± cylindric, 

acute 

Having a short-tapered, sharp tip, the sides convex or straight and converging at less than a right angle.

; bracts awl-like to 

ovate 

Egg-shaped (i.e., widest below the middle) in two dimensions (i.e., in one plane), as a leaf.

, generally spine-tipped; abaxial faces of sepals generally tubercled or winged in fruit ..... SALSOLA

6' Leaves or inflorescence bracts not spine- or bristle-tipped

8. Leaves not or ± weakly fleshy; sepals in fruit each with horizontal, membranous 

wing 

1. Thin, flat extension or appendage of a surface or margin. 2. In many members of Fabaceae and in some other groups, each of two lateral petals.

or tubercle on abaxial face ..... NEOKOCHIA(2)

8' Leaves fleshy; sepals in fruit each either without wing or tubercle or with distal horn-like appendage and horizontal wing on abaxial face ..... SUAEDA

5' Leaves flattened, not or ± weakly fleshy

9. Bisexual flowers 0; pistillate flower enclosed by 2, free or fused bracts (except in some pistillate flowers of Atriplex hortensis), these enlarged in fruit, calyx 0 (except in Stutzia and some pistillate flowers of Atriplex hortensis)

10. Pistillate flower bracts and calyx of staminate flowers densely soft-hairy ..... KRASCHENINNIKOVIA

10' Pistillate flower bracts and calyx of staminate flowers glabrous, minutely scaly, or powdery

11. Plant glabrous or with minute, soft, branched hairs; fruit bracts ± round, flat, winged, wholly united, 

entire 

Having margins that are continuous and smooth (i.e., without teeth, lobes, etc.).

, tubercles 0; shrub ..... GRAYIA

11' Plant glabrous or generally with 

sessile 

Without a petiole, peduncle, pedicel, or other kind of stalk.

, round to club-shaped, 1-celled glands that collapse and become mealy or scale-like; fruit bracts ± triangular to round, generally ± thickened, at least tips free, tubercles and/or marginal teeth present or 0; annual to shrub

12. Pistillate flower with calyx that is enclosed between and concealed by much longer bracts ..... STUTZIA

12' Pistillate flower without calyx (except in bractless pistillate flowers of Atriplex hortensis)

13. Leaf anatomy Kranz (see note under Atriplex); herbs to shrubs ..... ATRIPLEX (2)

13' Leaf anatomy non-Kranz; herbs

14. Calyx 

lobes 

1. A major expansion or bulge, such as on the margin of a leaf, sepal, or petal, or on the surface of an ovary. 2. The free tips of otherwise fused structures, such as sepals or petals; larger than teeth.

of staminate flower 4; seeds of 1 kind (dark brown-black); annual or 

perennial 

Completing life cycle (germination through death) in more than two years or growing seasons, generally non-woody (at least above ground) to woody; includes perennial herbs as well as subshrubs to trees; the abbreviation 'per' only refers to perennial herb, not to the word 'perennial' alone.

 herb ..... EXTRIPLEX

14' Calyx lobes of staminate flower 3–5; seeds of 2 kinds (smaller black, larger brown); annual ..... ATRIPLEX (2)

9' Bisexual flowers present or 0; pistillate flower (if present) not enclosed by 2 bracts, generally with 1–5 sepals (0 in Monolepis spathulata)

15. Calyx horizontally winged in fruit

16. Annual; 

leaf 

Organ arising from a stem, generally composed of a stalk (petiole) and a flat, expanded, green, photosynthetic area (blade); distinguished from a leaflet by the presence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; sometimes with lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (toothed, lobed, or dissected but not divided into leaflets) or compound (divided into leaflets).

wavy-dentate; plant long-shaggy-hairy to 

tomentose 

Covered with densely interwoven, generally matted hairs.

, generally glabrous in age ..... CYCLOLOMA

16' Perennial herb or subshrub; leaf entire; plant hairy, occasionally glabrous in age ..... NEOKOCHIA(2)

15' Calyx not horizontally winged in fruit

17. Fruiting calyx tubercled or with curved to hooked appendages

18. Calyx densely hairy, in fruit bearing 5 incurved to hooked spines ..... Bassia hyssopifolia

18' Calyx glabrous to 

ciliate 

Having generally straight, conspicuous hairs along margins or edges.

, in fruit tubercled, without spines

19. Leaf ovate; ovary 1/2-inferior, embedded in receptacle; fruits clustered, 2+ often falling in a group together with hardened calyces ..... BETA (2)

19' Leaf 

linear 

Elongate, with nearly parallel sides; narrower than elliptic or oblong.

; ovary superior, not embedded in receptacle; fruits falling individually ..... Bassia scoparia

17' Fruiting calyx not tubercled or with appendages

20. Ovary 1/2-inferior, embedded in receptacle; calyx thick, hard in fruit; fruits clustered ..... BETA (2)

20' Ovary superior; calyx thin in fruit; fruits not adherent

21. Distal leaves cordate-clasping; style branches 3 ..... APHANISMA

21' Distal leaves not clasping; style branches generally 2

22. Sepals, stamens (1)5; plant glandular-puberulent or not

23. Plant glandular-puberulent, sometimes also long-hairy ..... DYSPHANIA

23' Plant ± glabrous or with sessile, 1-celled, bead-like glands that generally collapse and become mealy or scale-like, not hairy ..... CHENOPODIUM

22' Sepals (0)1–3, stamens 1–3(5); plant not glandular-puberulent

24. Inflorescence a bracted terminal 

spike 

1. In flowering plants excluding Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, and some other groups, an unbranched inflorescence in which the flowers are sessile and nearly always open from the bottom to the top of the inflorescence. 2. In Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, and some other groups, a spike-like inflorescence is one in which the inflorescence units (e.g., heads in Asteraceae; spikelets in Cyperaceae and Poaceae), instead of individual flowers, are sessile and attached directly to the main axis of the inflorescence, not to branches, and in which floral development may or may not proceed as in 1.

; leaves generally linear to lance-linear or thread-like; sepal 1, adaxial; stamens generally 3 ..... CORISPERMUM

24' Inflorescence of 

axillary 

Pertaining to or within an axil, especially a leaf axil.

clusters of flowers or flowers solitary at stem tips or in axils; leaves 

elliptic 

In the shape of a flattened circle or ellipse; wider than linear

, ± 

oblong 

Longer than wide, with nearly parallel sides; wider than linear.

, triangular-lanceolate, oblanceolate or spoon-shaped; sepals 0 or 1–3; stamens 1–2

25. Stem many-branched throughout, ultimate branches thread-like; flowers 1–3 at stem tips or in axils ..... MICROMONOLEPIS

25' Stem 

simple 

Composed of a single part; undivided; unbranched.

or branched from base, not branched distally, ultimate branches not thread-like; flowers 4–15+ per axillary cluster ..... MONOLEPIS

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