Английская Википедия:Chenopodium curvispicatum

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Chenopodium curvispicatum is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae, endemic to Australia.[1]

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.[1] It is often referred to as cottony saltbush.[2]

Etymology and naming

The word curvispicatum is in reference to the shape of the panicles, which appear as drooping spikes.[3] Common names include cottony saltbush, and cottony goosefoot.[3] The species is often erroneously referred to in literature as Cheopodium gaudichaudianum, and also in hiberia as C. desertorum and Rghagodia spinescenus.

Файл:Collections data for Chenopodium curvispicatum.png
Collections data for Chenopodium curvispicatum from the Atlas of Living Australia

Description

Chenopodium curvispicatum grows to 1m high in the form of a straggly shrub, and features slender drooping branches with dense vesicular hairs.[3] 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.[3] The flowers are either male or bisexual with pyramidal panicles 2–5 cm long.[3] 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.[3]

Taxonomy

Chenopodium curvispicatum is a member of the Caryophyllales order, within the Chenopodiaceae family.[2]

Ecology

Chenopodium curvispicatum is found in well drained calcareous limestone soils within semi-arid and sand plain woodlands.[4] Many of these areas have become degraded due to overgrazing, as well as being impacted by feral species including goats and rabbits.[5] Chenopodium family plants form key understorey components of plant communities. In these arid environments, understorey shrubs provide valuable habitat and resources for many species of herbs and grasses.[6]

A typical plant community type featuring  common associations with Chenopodium curvispicatum is the Casuarina pauper/Alectryon oleifolius woodland and Eucalyptus shrublands in semi-arid areas within Nanya Station in western New South Wales.[7] These ecological communities form unique examples of intact vegetation communities rarely found in New South Wales.[7]

Reproduction/dispersal

The seeds are rounded at 1.5mm diameter, with a honeycomb matrix and are black in colour. The seeds disperse from fruiting flowers between March and September.[8]

References

Шаблон:Reflist

Шаблон:Taxonbar Шаблон:Amaranthaceae-stub Шаблон:Australia-eudicot-stub