Atriplex vesicaria
Atriplex vesicaria, commonly known as bladder saltbush, is a species of saltbush endemic to Australia.
| Bladder saltbush | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Atriplex |
| Species: | A. vesicaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Atriplex vesicaria Heward ex Benth. | |
Description
It grows as an erect or sprawling shrub up to a metre high. Leaves are oval in shape, five to 25 millimetres long, and 3 to 15 millimetres wide.[1]
Taxonomy
The species was first published by George Bentham in 1870, based on a name selected by Robert Heward.[2] The species' only synonym is Pachypharynx neglecta, published by Paul Aellen in 1938.[3]
It is a highly variable species. The Flora of Australia treatment of this species recognises eight subspecies:
- A. vesicaria subsp. vesicaria
- A. vesicaria subsp. appendiculata
- A. vesicaria subsp. variabilis
- A. vesicaria subsp. calcicola
- A. vesicaria subsp. minor
- A. vesicaria subsp. incompta
- A. vesicaria subsp. macrocystidia
- A. vesicaria subsp. sphaerocarpa.[1] Not all of these are accepted in South Australia, where the subspecies tend to intergrade.[2]
Distribution and habitat
It occurs in arid and semi-arid areas across southern Australia,[1] growing in coastal dunes, salt pans, salt lakes, sandy plains and limestone ridges.[4]
References
- Wilson, Paul G. (1984). "Chenopodiaceae". Flora of Australia, Volume 4: Phytolaccaceae to Chenopodiaceae. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
- "Atriplex vesicaria Heward ex Benth". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- "Pachypharynx neglecta Aellen". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- "Atriplex vesicaria Benth". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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