Classification
Class
Magnoliopsida Brongn.
Order
Caryophyllales Juss. ex Bercht. & J.Presl
Family
Amaranthaceae
 Subordinate Taxa
 Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Atriplex L., Sp. Pl. 1052 (1753)
Synonymy:
  • = Obione Gaertn. (1791)
  • ≡ Theleophyton (Hook.f.) Moq. in de Candolle, Prodr. [A. P. de Candolle] 13, 115 (1849)
  • = Atriplex sect. Theleophyton Hook.f.
Type Taxon:
Atriplex hortensis L.
Vernacular Name(s):
orache; Saltbush
 Description

Monoecious or dioecious, annual herbs or small shrubs, glabrous or farinose. Stems green, often striped reddish or white. Lvs generally alternate, flat, toothed or lobed, often hastate, sometimes entire; upper lvs much smaller. Fls in glomerules; glomerules aggregated in panicles, dense spikes or sometimes solitary. ♂ fls: bracteoles 0; perianth segments (3)–5; stamens (3)–5. ♀ fls: bracteoles 2, accrescent and enclosing fr., free or somewhat fused, entire or dentate, often lobed near base, often tuberculate or with appendages on bracts, sometimes spongy inside; perianth usually 0, if present then segments 5. Ovary superior; stigmas 2. Fr. pericarp membranous, often easily detached. Seeds sometimes dimorphic, usually vertical, rarely horizontal; testa usually smooth; radicle often protruding.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

 Biostatus
Indigenous (Non-endemic)
Number of species in New Zealand within Atriplex L.
CategoryNumber
Indigenous (Endemic)2
Indigenous (Non-endemic)3
Exotic: Fully Naturalised5
Total10
 Bibliography
de Candolle, A.P. 1849: Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis. Vol. 13. Treuttel et Würtz, Paris.
Linnaeus, C. 1753: Species Plantarum. Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm.
Mabberley, D.J. 2008: Mabberley's plant book, a portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses. Edition 3. Cambridge University Press.