Halostachys caspica
| Halostachys | |
|---|---|
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| Halostachys belangeriana | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Salicornioideae |
| Genus: |
Halostachys C.A.Mey. ex Schrenk |
| Binomial name | |
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Halostachys belangeriana (Moq.) Botsch. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Halostachys is a genus of flowering plants in the plant family Amaranthaceae, containing a single species, Halostachys belangeriana. The plants are small to medium halophytic shrubs with apparently jointed fleshy stems and scale-like leaves. They are native to Asia and southeastern Europe.
Halostachys growths as a shrub to 1-3 m height and width. The erect stems are much branched, older twigs are mostly leafless. The young twigs are blue-green, fleshy, apparently jointed (articulated), with glabrous fine papillose surface. The opposite leaves are fleshy, glabrous, connate basally and surrounding the stem (thus forming the joints), with very short scale-like triangular blades.
The inflorescences consist of numerous opposite lateral cylindrical spikes, 15-30 × 2-5 mm, on jointed peduncles. Groups of three bisexual flowers are sitting in the axils of rhombic-quadrate bracts. The opposite bracts are not connate to each other. The obovoid to obpyramidal perianth consists of three connate tepals, the apex with three incurved lobes. There is one stamen exserting the flower. The ovoid ovary bears two subulate papillate stigmas. The flowering and fruiting phase reaches from July to November.
The fruit is enclosed by the fleshy, somewhat inflated, three-angled, shiny perianth. The fruit wall (pericarp) is membranous. The erect seed is oblong and red-brown, containing the half-annular embryo and copious perisperm (feeding tissue).
The distribution area of Halostachys belangeriana reaches from Southeast Europe, Caucasus (Russia, Armenia, eastern Turkey), Southwest Asia (northern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan), Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Mongolia) to Xinjiang and western Gansu (China).
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Wikipedia