Halothamnus hierochunticus
Halothamnus hierochunticus
Halothamnus hierochunticus is a plant of the genus Halothamnus from the family of Amaranthaceae ( Amaranthaceae ).
Features
Halothamnus hierochunticus is a 40-50 cm high annual plant with blue- green branches that smells slightly unpleasant rancid butter. The semi- terete leaves are linear to lanceolate - triangular and up to 30 (rarely 50) mm long. The flowers are 6-13 mm in distance on the branches and are slightly shorter than its bract and bracteoles with their 2.8 to 3.3 mm, and their tepals are triangular. The scars are truncated at the top. The winged fruit reached 10-16 mm in diameter, their wings put in the center of the fruit height. The Fruchttubus has concave side walls with sharp protruding bars. At its base, a narrow, projecting wall surrounding the very large round pits.
In the lower part of the plant arise heavier fruits with short wings, the upper part, however slight fruit with large wings ( Heterokarpie ).
Fruits (bottom side) from the lower part of the plant (left) and from the upper part (on the right )
Occurrence
The distribution area of Halothamnus hierochunticus runs through the fertile crescent of Lebanon, Syria, Turkey ( Southeastern Anatolia ), Israel and Palestine via Jordan and Iraq to the western Iran. In some isolated localities in southern and northern Iran the kind could have been introduced as a weed. It grows in fields, where they can at times become troublesome weeds, as well as ruderal sites ( roadsides, ruins ), often also on salt-rich soils on loess or sand, up to 1500 m above sea level.
Taxonomy
The first description of Halothamnus hierochunticus was made in 1912 by Joseph Friedrich Nicolaus Bornmüller as Salsola hierochuntica. In the genus Halothamnus the species was incorporated in 1981 by Viktor Petrovich Botschanzew.
Synonyms of Halothamnus hierochunticus ( Bornm. ) Botsch. are Salsola hierochuntica Bornm. , Salsola autrani post. var hierochuntica ( Bornm. ) Eig. , Aellenia hierochuntica ( Bornm. ) Aellen Aellenia autrani (Post) Zoh. , Aellenia autrani (Post) Zoh. var hierochuntica ( Bornm. ) Zoh. , nom. inval. - No synonym is the name Salsola autrani post.
Hebrew: אֵלֶנְיָה נָאָה