Arthrocnemum subterminale
Encyclopedia
Arthrocnemum subterminale (syn.
Salicornia subterminalis) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family
known by the common name Parish's glasswort. It is native to California
and the northern states of Mexico
, where it grows in coastal and inland salt marsh
es, alkali flats
, and other habitat with saline soils. It is a halophyte
, capable of growing in substrates with high salt concentrations. It is a perennial herb or subshrub
growing in low clumps up to a meter wide, the plants with woody bases branching into fleshy, jointed green stems. The leaves appear as fused rings around stem, the tip of each individual blade narrowing to a point. The inflorescence
is a fleshy, sticklike spike of minute flowers, each flower just a pocket made up of the joined sepal
s; there are no petals.
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
Salicornia subterminalis) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
known by the common name Parish's glasswort. It is native to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the northern states of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where it grows in coastal and inland salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es, alkali flats
Dry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
, and other habitat with saline soils. It is a halophyte
Halophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
, capable of growing in substrates with high salt concentrations. It is a perennial herb or subshrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing in low clumps up to a meter wide, the plants with woody bases branching into fleshy, jointed green stems. The leaves appear as fused rings around stem, the tip of each individual blade narrowing to a point. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a fleshy, sticklike spike of minute flowers, each flower just a pocket made up of the joined sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s; there are no petals.