Stutzia

Last updated

Stutzia
Atriplex suckleyi (7490974898).jpg
Stutzia dioica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Tribe: Atripliceae
Genus: Stutzia
E.H.Zacharias
Species

See text.

Synonyms [1]
  • EndolepisTorr (nom. illeg.)
  • Atriplex sect. EndolepisMcNeill
  • Atriplex L. sect. CovilleiaeS. L. Welsh

Stutzia is a plant genus in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It was described in 2010, replacing the illegitimate name Endolepis. It comprises two species, that have also been included in the genus Atriplex . [2]

Contents

Stutzia species occur in western North America. They are annual plants up to 50 cm tall and broad, growing upright or spreading. The parts of young plants are rarely furfuraceous or farinose, older ones glabrescent. The stem branches almost from the base with ascending or spreading branches, older ones with white bark.

Description

The species of Stutzia are annual herbs that are 3–50 cm high and broad, growing erect or spreading. Young plant parts are sparsely furfuraceous or farinose, older ones glabrescent. The stems are branched nearly from base with ascending or spreading branches, the older ones with whitish bark. The numerous green leaves are alternate, petiolated or not. Their succulent leaf blades are 7–50 long and 2–30 mm wide, triangular-hastate, broadly ovate, lanceolate-ovate, lanceolate, or elliptic, with entire margins. The leaf anatomy is of the "normal" (non-Kranz) type of C3-plants. [1]

The plants are monoecious. The inflorescences form terminal, dense or interrupted spikes of glomerulate male and often female flowers, and female flowers standing to 1–6 in the axils of midstem leaves. Male flowers (without bracteoles) consist of 5 triangular to subulate perianth lobes, ca. 1–2 mm long, united in the lower half to 3/4, smooth or with a fleshy crest, and 5 exserting stamens inserting on a disc. Female flowers are sitting within 2 opposite bracteoles, they consist of a hyaline perianth of 1–5 distinct, entire or lobed tepals, and an ovary with 2 filiform, slightly exserted stigmas. [1]

In fruit, the bracteoles enclosing the fruit become accrescent, 2–20 × 1–10 mm, connate at least to the middle or to the summit. Their shape can be either ovate and entire or ovate-cordate to lanceolate, and laterally lobed at base, with acute to acuminate apices. Their surface is scurfy, usually without tubercles. The ovate, laterally compressed to subglobose fruit (utricle) greatly surpassing the perianth is not spongy, and does not fall at maturity. The membranous pericarp adheres to the seed. The vertically orientated seed with rostellate apex has a brown to dark reddish-brown, thin, crustaceous seed coat. The subannular, slender embryo surrounds the copious perisperm. [1]

Stutzia is flowering from April to July. [1]

The chromosome numbers are n = 9 (haploid) and 2n = 18 (diploid). [1]

Systematics

The genus Stutzia has been first described in 2010 by Elizabeth H. Zacharias (In: A Molecular Phylogeny of North American Atripliceae (Chenopodiaceae), with Implications for Floral and Photosynthetic Pathway Evolution. In: Systematic Botany 35 (4), p. 839-857). It replaced the illegitimate name Endolepis, that had been described in 1860 by John Torrey (not being aware of the earlier fossil Endolepis Schleid. from 1846). The type species is Stutzia dioica . Stutzia species were often included in genus Atriplex . [3] [4] The genus name Stutzia was given in honour to the botanist Howard C. Stutz, who had resurrected Endolepis in 1993. [1]

Stutzia belongs to the tribe Atripliceae in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae.

Species

The genus comprises two species: [1]

Distribution

The species of Stutzia are distributed in western North America (Alberta, Saskatchewan, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and possibly Oregon). [1]

They grow in dry habitats on alkaline or saline substrates, from 400 to 2,200 m. Stutzia dioica is more widely distributed, and is a pioneer on alkaline or saline, fine-textured soils in badlands. Sometimes it occurs together with Atriplex species, sagebrush, or grasses. Stutzia covillei grows on saline soils in saltbush, greasewood, rabbitbrush, warm desert scrub, and salt-grass communities. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amaranthaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus Amaranthus. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it the most species-rich lineage within its parent order, Caryophyllales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chenopodioideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

The Chenopodioideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae in the APG III system, which is largely based on molecular phylogeny, but were included – together with other subfamilies – in the family Chenopodiaceae, or goosefoot family, in the Cronquist system.

<i>Atriplex</i> Genus of flowering plant

Atriplex is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache. It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae s.l.. The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments. The generic name originated in Latin and was applied by Pliny the Elder to the edible oraches. The name saltbush derives from the fact that the plants retain salt in their leaves; they are able to grow in areas affected by soil salination.

<i>Myriopteris covillei</i> Species of fern

Myriopteris covillei, formerly known as Cheilanthes covillei, is a species of cheilanthoid fern known by the common name Coville's lip fern. Coville's lip fern is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.

<i>Grayia</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Grayia is a genus of plants in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. Common names are siltbush and hopsage. The four shrubby species occur in arid and semiarid regions of western North America:

<i>Grayia spinosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Grayia spinosa is a species of the genus Grayia in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, which is known by the common names hop sage and spiny hop sage. It is widely distributed across the Western United States, where it grows in a number of desert and mountain habitats.

<i>Krascheninnikovia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae

Krascheninnikovia is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae known as winterfat, so-called because it is a nutritious livestock forage. They are known from Eurasia and western North America. These are hairy perennials or small shrubs which may be monoecious or dioecious. They bear spike inflorescences of woolly flowers.

<i>Extriplex californica</i> Species of aquatic plant

Extriplex californica is a plant species known by the common name California saltbush or California orache. Formerly, it was included in genus Atriplex. It is native to coastal California and Baja California, where it grows in areas with saline soils, such as beaches and salt marshes.

Extriplex joaquinana is a species known by the common name San Joaquin saltbush. It was formerly included in genus Atriplex.

Atriplex dioica is a species of saltbush known by the common names saline saltbush and halberdleaf orach. It is native to much of the United States and southern Canada, where it most often grows in saline and alkaline soils.

<i>Spinacia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the amaranth family Amaranthaceae

Spinacia is a flowering plant genus in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. The most common member is spinach.

<i>Chenopodiastrum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Chenopodiastrum is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus was formally described in 2012. The 5 species occur in Eurasia, North Africa, and North America.

<i>Lipandra</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lipandra polysperma, common name manyseed goosefoot, is the only species of the monotypic plant genus Lipandra from the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae.

<i>Halimione</i> Genus of flowering plants

Halimione is a plant genus from the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It is a sister genus of Atriplex and is included in that genus by Plants of the World Online.

<i>Extriplex</i> Genus of flowering plants

Extriplex is a plant genus in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It has been described in 2010 and comprises two species, that were formerly included in genus Atriplex. They are restricted to the California Floristic Province.

<i>Proatriplex</i> Genus of plants

Proatriplex is a monotypic plant genus in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae, with the only species Proatriplex pleiantha. It is known by the common names four-corners orach and Mancos shadscale. It occurs in the Navajo Basin of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

Stutzia covillei, the arrow-scale or Coville's orach, is an annual plant in the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae) that grows in dry climates and deserts of the Southwestern United States. Formerly part of genus Atriplex and transferred to Stutzia in 2010.

<i>Atriplex holocarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Atriplex holocarpa is a low-growing species of Atriplex (saltbush) found throughout arid regions of Australia. A. holocarpa is commonly known as pop saltbush, because its carpals pop when stepped upon.

<i>Exomis microphylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Exomis is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. It just contains one species, Exomis microphylla(Thunb.) Aellen It is also in the Chenopodioideae subfamily.

<i>Atriplex angulata</i> Species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae

Atriplex angulata, commonly known as fan saltbush or angular saltbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is an annual to short-lived perennial subshrub, native to Australia, distributed throughout drier parts of the mainland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Elizabeth H. Zacharias, Bruce G. Baldwin (2010): A Molecular Phylogeny of North American Atripliceae (Chenopodiaceae), with Implications for Floral and Photosynthetic Pathway Evolution. In: Systematic Botany35(4), p.839-857. doi:10.1600/036364410X539907
  2. CalFlora Database: Atriplex covillei (Coville's orach) . accessed 2.22.2015
  3. 1 2 Stanley L. Welsh (2003): Atriplex covillei in Flora of North America, p.368
  4. 1 2 Stanley L. Welsh (2003): Atriplex suckleyi in Flora of North America, p.345
  5. Jepson eFlora treatment for Stutzia covillei . accessed 2.22.2015