Halogeton
| Halogeton | |
|---|---|
| |
| Halogeton sativus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Salsoloideae |
| Tribe: | Salsoleae |
| Genus: | Halogeton C.A.Mey. |
| Species | |
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About 5 species, see text | |
Halogeton is a plant genus of the family Amaranthaceae. The genus name, Halogeton, derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."[1]
Description[edit]
The genus Halogeton includes both annual and perennial species. The leaves are fleshy cylindrical, terminating in a persistent or caducous bristle. There are three to several flowers in the axil of each floral leaf. The perianth segments are membranous. The stamens are fixed on a papillose staminodial disk. In fruit, the tepals develop five wings.
Distribution and habitat[edit]
The annual species grow in temperate salines and ruderal places, while the perennials are found in warm and hot deserts. They are tolerant of fairly saline soils.
Uses[edit]
Halogeton sativus was cultivated for the enormous 18th Century barilla industry in Spain that produced soda ash. The species was considered to be a "saltwort" plant.
Weeds[edit]
Halogeton glomeratus is considered a noxious weed in most regions of the United States;[2] a particular difficulty with H. glomeratus is that it is poisonous to sheep, and possibly to cattle, due to the high concentration of sodium oxalate in the dry plant.[3] The common names for H. glomeratus include halogeton (the same as the genus), barilla, and saltlover.[4]
Ecology[edit]
Halogeton species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Nutmeg and the Coleophora case-bearers C. klimeschiella and C. parthenica.
Systematics[edit]
The genus Halogeton was published in 1829 by Carl Anton von Meyer (in Ledeb., Icon. Pl. Fl. Ross. 1: 10), with the type species Halogeton glomeratus (M. Bieb.) C.A.Mey. Synonyms are Agathophora (Fenzl) Bunge and Micropeplis Bunge. The genus includes about 5 species:
- Halogeton alopecuroides (Delile) Moq.
- Halogeton arachnoideus Moq.
- Halogeton glomeratus (M. Bieb.) C. A. Mey.
- Halogeton sativus (L.) Moq., Synonym Salsola sativa L.
- Halogeton tibeticus Bunge (Bunge 1862; Botschantzev 1977).
References[edit]
- ^ Holmgren, Ned A. (2004). "HalogetonC. A. Meyer," in Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 4: Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1, Editorial Committee of the Flora of North America (Oxford University Press, 2004). ISBN 978-0-19-517389-5. Online versions retrieved May 22, 2007.
- ^ Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture (2007). "PLANTS Profile for Halogeton glomeratus (saltlover)," webpage retrieved May 20, 2007.
- ^ Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (2007). "Halogeton (Halogeton Glomeratus)," webpage retrieved May 23, 2007.
- ^ Integrated Taxonomic Information Service (2007). Halogeton, retrieved May 19, 2007.
Hossein Akhani, Gerald Edwards, Eric H. Roalson:Diversification Of The Old World Salsoleae S.L. (Chenopodiaceae): Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Of Nuclear And Chloroplast Data Sets And A Revised Classification In: International Journal of Plant Sciences, 168(6), p. 942 and 945-946, 2007. (chapters Description, Habitat, Systematics)
| Authority control databases: National |
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