Atriplex pacifica

A. Nelson

Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 17: 99. 1904.

Common names: Pacific orach
Basionym: Obione microcarpa Bentham Bot. Voy. Sulphur, 48. 1844,
Synonyms: Atriplex ramosissima Nuttall ex Moquin-Tandon
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 363. Mentioned on page 329.

Herbs, annual, prostrate, sometimes tinged red, 1–6 dm, forming tangled masses 3–10 dm diam., lightly scurfy when young. Leaves numerous, sessile or proximal short petiolate; blade greenish adaxially, paler abaxially, oblanceolate to spatulate-elliptic or oval, (3–)5–18 × 1–8 mm, margin entire, more scurfy abaxially. Staminate flowers in glomerules largely in distal bractless axils, thus short spicate; calyx 5-cleft. Pistillate flowers in proximal axils. Fruiting bracteoles subsessile or stipe to 0.3 mm, suborbiculate to obovate, 1–1.5(–2) × 1.1–1.8 mm, united to middle, margin minutely 3–5-toothed at apex, otherwise entire, apex green, faces smooth or rarely tuberculate. Seeds light brown, 0.8–1 mm.


Phenology: Flowering early spring–fall.
Habitat: Mainly on sea bluffs
Elevation: 0-100 m

Distribution

V4 710-distribution-map.gif

Calif., Mexico (Baja California).

Discussion

The name Atriplex ramosissima was published by Moquin-Tandon as a synonym, based on a name on a specimen in Nuttall’s herbarium.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.