Chenopodium curvispicatum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chenopodium curvispicatum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Chenopodium |
| Species: | C. curvispicatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Chenopodium curvispicatum | |
Chenopodium curvispicatum is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae, endemic to Australia.[2]
It is a small Australian native shrub species of Chenopodium genus, which occurs in semi-arid and arid areas of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.[2] It is often referred to as cottony saltbush.[3]
The word curvispicatum is in reference to the shape of the panicles, which appear as drooping spikes.[4] Common names include cottony saltbush, and cottony goosefoot.[4] The species is often erroneously referred to in literature as Cheopodium gaudichaudianum, and also in hiberia as C. desertorum and Rghagodia spinescenus.
Description
Chenopodium curvispicatum grows to 1m high in the form of a straggly shrub, and features slender drooping branches with dense vesicular hairs.[4] The leaves are opposite or sub-opposite, with deltoid shaping profiles and are 1 to 1.5 cm long and wide, and are covered with white rounded hairs which appear as a silverly layer.[4] The flowers are either male or bisexual with pyramidal panicles 2–5 cm long.[4] The female flowers are found below the male, and the fruit is enveloping until mature when it opens to 5mm diameter and becoming red. The fruit is a berry which contains sap, and changes from red to orange as it dries.[4]
Taxonomy
Chenopodium curvispicatum is a member of the Caryophyllales order, within the Chenopodiaceae family.[3]
