Atriplex Diana Bizecki Robson Key - Sask
This key was created by Diana Bizecki Robson (Robson, D.B. 2008, 'The Saltbushes (Atriplex) of the Prairie Provinces', Blue Jay, vol. 66, no.4, pp. 211-225). I have added:
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links to the species descriptions in Flora of North America |
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common names |
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rarity/abundance information, taken from Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Saskatchewan by Vernon L. Harms. N - native, CC - very common, C - common, FC - fairly common, UC - uncommon, VUL - vulnerable, THR - threatened, END - endangered, EXT - possibly extirpated, ABS - absent, VER? - verification uncertain, IN - introduced, ADV? - possibly adventive, R - rare (applies to introduced species only). |
1a. Perennial shrub or subshrub; leaves linear to oblong, not
lobed (2)
1b. Annual herbs; leaves typically broader, often hastate and lobed (3)
2a. Shrubs to 60 cm tall; bracteoles with four prominent wings,
rare A.
canescens (Four-Wing Saltbush) ABS
2b. Subshrubs to 40 cm tall; bracteoles with tubercles or short wings;
common A.
gardneri (Gardner's Saltbush, Nuttall's Saltbush) CC
3a. Leaves usually green on both surfaces, glabrous or sparingly
powdery or finely scurfy at maturity (4)
3b. Leaves white to grey, densely and finely scurfy at maturity, especially on
the underside (10)
4a. Bracteoles herbaceous or membranous with no spongy inner
tissue (5)
4b. Bracteoles thickened, especially at the base, with spongy inner tissue
(8)
5a. Bracteoles orbicular, always entire (6)
5b. Bracteoles ovate, triangular or rhombic, may be toothed (7)
6a. Bracteoles large (to 15 mm long), subcordate or broadly
rounded at base, veins merging above the base
A. hortensis (Garden Atriplex, Garden Orache) IN C
6b. Bracteoles small (to 6 mm long), slightly pointed at the base, veins merging
only at the base A.
heterosperma (Two-Scale Saltbush) IN R, but common in Regina at least
7a. Bracteoles rhombic; terminal inflorescence of densely spaced
glomerules; upper leaves green A.
patula (Spear Saltbush, Spreading Orache) IN FC
7b. Bracteoles ovate or triangular-ovate; terminal inflorescence of loosely
spaced glomerules; upper leaves whitish below A.
oblongifolia (Oblong-Leaf Orache) IN VER?
8a. Lower leaves linear or ovate-lanceolate A.
dioica (Thickleaf Orache, Saline Saltbush) C
8b. Lower leaves triangular (9)
9a. Inflorescence with leafy bracts to the tip; bracteoles thick
and spongy; seeds mostly more than 2.5 mm, only slightly dimorphic (of two
kinds) A.
glabriuscula (Glabrous Orache) ABS
9b. Inflorescence with leafy bracts only at base; bracteoles thin to slightly
spongy; seeds mostly less than 2.5 mm, distinctly dimorphic A.
prostrata (Hastate Saltbush) IN C
10a. Lower leaves sinuate-dentate, to about 3 cm long A.
rosea (Red Orache) IN UC
10b. Lower leaves entire (11)
11a. Sepals of staminate flowers pink, fused into a cup-shape
and fleshy=lobed on back; pistillate bracteole ovate, entire A. suckleyi
11b. Sepals of staminate flowers green, not cup-shaped, lobes ovate, rounded on
back; pistillate bracteole lanceolate, lobed, wavy or toothed (12)
12a. Pistillate bracteoles obovate, 4-8 mm long A.
argentea (Silvery Atriplex) C
12b. Pistillate bracteoles cuneate, spatulate or oblong, less than 4 mm
long (13)
13a. Pistillate bracteoles 2-3 mm long, cuneate and with three
teeth at summit, smooth or with 1 or 2 small tubercles; leaves sessile or
subsessile, not conspicuously nerved A.
truncata (Wedge-Leaved Saltbush) END
13b. Pistillate bracteoles 3-4 mm long, spatulate to oblong, with short
tubercles, lower leaves stalked, conspicuously 3-nerved A.
powellii (Powell's Saltbush) END