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Atriplex lentiformis

(Torr.) S.Watson (1874)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-CoreEudicot Order: Caryophyllales Family: Amaranthaceae Genus: Atriplex

lens scale, quailbush, tree atriplex

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect, widely spreading shrubs.

Stems: Stems sprawling, 10–30 dm long, ± spinose.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades oblong to ovate–deltate, 1.5–4(–5) cm long, 0.5–2.5 cm wide. Surfaces usually densely grayish mealy pubescent. Margins entire to repand. Petiolate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in dense, terminal panicles; staminate flowers without subtending bracts; pistillate flowers each subtended by 2 accrescent bracts enclosing the fruit. Flowers unisexual (and the plants dioecious). Calyx of staminate flowers with 3–5 lobes. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens in staminate flower 3–5, inserted on calyx at base; pistillate flowers Stamens absent; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior (pistillate flowers), 1-celled, placentation basal; ovule 1; stigmas 2, filiform, dry.

Fruit: Utricle with membranous pericarp; enclosed by the persistent bracts; fruiting bracts of pistillate flowers connate ca. ½ their length; orbicular–ovate; 3–4(–5) mm long; margins entire to minutely crenulate. Seeds 1 per fruit; brown; 1.2–1.5 mm long.

Ploidy: 2n = 18

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Molokai Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean
Wind

Pollinators

Specimens

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Notes

  • Description digitized by Mercedez
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • First collected in l9l5

Bibliography

Name Published In: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 9: 118 (1874)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:535 (Mo); Niles Soares pers. comm. 2025 (Mo†, 2021)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Atriplex lentiformis along highway, near airport arid Prosopis area Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 1895 Molokai BISH 1970-08-07
2 Atriplex lentiformis Kaunakakai roadside flats near shore Preserved_Specimen Large arching bushes, 3 m tall; leaves gray Fosberg, F.R. 13418 Molokai BISH 1936-12-26
3 Atriplex lentiformis Kaunakakai Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. Molokai BISH 1920-08-23
4 Atriplex lentiformis Mapulehu Preserved_Specimen Mangelsdorf, A.J. Molokai BISH 1944-05-21
5 Atriplex lentiformis road to Kaunakakai Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. Molokai BISH 1915-04-01
6 Atriplex lentiformis Kaunakakai, 1/2 mile W moist flat near shore Preserved_Specimen 3 m shrub, odorless St.John, H. 23382 Molokai BISH 1948-12-19
7 Atriplex lentiformis Kaunakakai roadside Preserved_Specimen bushes 8-10' tall St.John, H. 12443 Molokai BISH 1932-12-22
8 Atriplex lentiformis Kaunakakai edge of Prosopis thicket Preserved_Specimen Large scandent shrub to 15'; often leaning on trees for support. Foliage gray-green, aromatic. Inflorescense large, penden. Short, sharp, thorn-like lateral branches frequent Herbst, D.R. 5098 Molokai BISH 1974-11-12
9 Atriplex lentiformis Kaunakakai, 1/2 mile W moist flat near shore Preserved_Specimen 3 m shrub, odorless St.John, H. 23382 Molokai BISH 1948-12-19
10 Atriplex lentiformis Kaunakakai costal flat Preserved_Specimen Uehara, S. Molokai BISH 1957-10-11
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