AMARANTHACEAE Juss.
Family comprised of 178 genera and about 2,050 species of herbaceous and shrubby plants, rarely arborescent, distributed through tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the planet. In North Africa it is well represented, with 24 genera with more or less woody species.In 4 of these genera there are only subshrubs, ± woody, at least at the base, usually less than 0.5 m in height, they are the following:
Sevada Moq. Monotypic genus represented by S. schimperi Moq., a subshrub, glabrous or papery, up to 40 cm in height with small fleshy leaves (2-15 × 1-2 mm) with a tuft of hairs at the axils and hardened at the base, and small flowers with perianth 1 mm, arranged in axillary groups of 3-10 in a spike or panicle. It grows along dry riverbeds and areas of coastal sands in Egypt, Arabia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia.
Camphorosma L. Genus with a single species in North Africa, C. monspeliaca L., with leaves alternate, linear, rigid, flowers with only 4 stamens and fruit perianth wingless. Very restricted in the region: Morocco [Boulmane (Middle Atlas)], Tunisia [Ghardimau (Medjerda Valley)] and NW far end of Libya (west of Tripoli). It has been cited in Algeria.
Bassia All. Genus represented in North Africa by 10 species, mostly annuals but with some subshrubs. B. prostrata (L.) Beck [Salsola prostrata L., Kochia prostrata (L.) Schrad.] with alternate leaves, not fleshy, linear, almost acicular and fruit perianth parts with such small wings that they do not touch each other; very rare plant in the region, only known from S of Anoceur (Middle Atlas) and along the steppes of NE Algeria. B. tomentosa (Lowe) Maire & Weiller [Suaeda tomentosa Lowe, Chenolea tomentosa (Lowe) Maire, Ch. canariensis Moq., Ch. lanata (Masson) Moq., Salsola lanata Masson], with alternate leaves, villous, semicylindrical, linear-lanceolate and wingless fruit perianth; it grows in the Macaronesian Atlantic regions, from the western foothills of the High Atlas to the Río de Oro. B. arabica (Boiss.) Maire & Weiller [Chenolea arabica Boiss., Chenoleoides arabica (Boiss.) Botsch.]. With oblong-linear leaves, the upper ones oblong or oval, obtuse, often glabrescent, the lower ones downy; with a characteristic downy-woolly fruiting perianth. It lives in the semi-desert and desert areas of NE Libya, Egypt, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula.
Agathophora (Fenzl) Bunge. Monotypic genus represented by A. alopecurioides (Delile) Fenzl ex Bunge [Salsola alopecurioides Delile, Halogeton alopecurioides (Delile) Moq., Agathophora algeriensis Botsch.] (Ara.: Hamad sha’aran) a ramose subshrub, up to 50 cm in height, leaves alternate, cylindrical, obtuse, with a small rigid spine at the tip and winged fruit perianth; it is a uncommon plant, but can be found in almost all Saharan and pre-Saharan regions of North Africa, reaching almost to the Mediterranean in Saka (N of Guercif) along the Muluya depression in Morocco. In the eastern Moroccan steppes it can become abundant. Towards the E through Tunisia and Egypt (desert areas and the Sinai Peninsula) up to Pakistan.
These species are somewhat common, and in principle none are considered threatened. Currently, they have not been assessed at a global level on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Aellen, P. 1960. Chenopodiaceae. in Heigi, G., Illustrierte Flora von Mittel-Europa. ed. 2, 3: 533-747.
Boulos, L. 1996. Chenopodiaceae. in: Miller, A.G. &. Cope, T. A (eds). Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra, 1: 233-283. Edinburgh.
Freitag, H. et al. Chenopodiaceae. in: Flora of Pakistan. Efloras.org.
El Oualidi, J., Khamar, H., Fennane, M. et al., 2012. Checklist des endémiques et spécimens types de la flore vasculaire de l’Afrique du Nord. Rabat : Institut Scientifique, Universite Mohammed V-Agdal.
Key to genera
1 Stems and branches articulated with very small leaves, almost non-existent, opposite, ± squamiform, born at the nodes 2
1 21Stems and branches unarticulated. Leaves well developed, alternate or opposite, not squamiform 7
2 Fruit perianth winged. Flowers with 5 stamens. Plants of ±arid, desert zones, not salty 3
2 Fruit perianth not winged. Flowers with 1-2 stamens. Plants of wetlands,somewhat salty 5
3 Seed vertical in the fruit. Branchlets generally thick (1.5-4.5 mm in diameter) Anabasis
3 Seeds horizontal in the fruit. Branchlets very thin (0.5-1.5 (2) mm in diameter) 4
4 Large shrub or small tree of broom-like appearance, with thin and glabrous branches, leaves almost non-existent. Fruit perianth wings near the apex of the fruit Haloxylon
4 Smaller shrubs (up to 1 m), with thin branches without a broom-like appearance, glabrous or hairy. Fruit perianth wings in the middle of the fruit Hammada
5 Side branchlets very short and globose, sometimes wider than long.Bracts free. 1 stamen Halocnemum
5 Side branchlets elongated, not globose. Bracts fused together and with the internode. 1-2 stamens 6
6 Sterile branches longer than fruiting ones. Flowers in groups of 3, leavinga single cavity as they fall, without dividing membranes. Black, shiny seed Arthrocaulon
6 Sterile branches shorter than fruiting ones. Flowers in groups of 3, leaving as they fall a cavity divided into 3 smaller cavities,separated by thin membranes. Brown, matt seeds Sarcocornia
7 Plants with hairs that are stellate or branched in some part Krascheninnikovia
7 Plants with simple hairs (punctually medifixed in Salsola but not stellate), or glabrous 8
8 Flattened leaves, linear or lanceolate to deltoid and suborbicular, slightly fleshy or not fleshy 9
8 Leaves never flattened on both sides, ± globose, fleshy 13
9 Perianth membranous, deciduous, covered with a dense white tomentum, not present in the fruit. Bracteoles densely lanate. Plant dioecious Aerva
9 Perianth herbaceous, sepaloid, glabrous, hairy or tomentose. Bracteoles not lanateor absent. Plants monoecious or dioecious 10
10 Fruit perianth with neither wings nor appendages of any kind. Flower without bracteoles, stamens 4 Camphorosma
10 Fruit perianth winged or with spines. Flowers with or without bracteoles,stamens 5 11
11 Flowers without bracteoles. Perianth hairy or lanate. Leaves densely villous or hirsute, at least with appressed hairiness Bassia
11 Flowers with bracteoles. Perianth not hairy nor lanate. Leaves pilose or not 12
12 Bracteoles or fruiting valves ± free, or fused from the baseto nearly the tip, ± reniform or triangular a Atriplex
12 Bracteoles or fruiting valves fully fused, shaped as an inverted triangle Halimione
13 Plants very dense, hemisphericalf Fredolia
13 Plants less dense, ± irregular in shape 14
14 Plants with spiny branches 15
14 Plants not spiny 16
15 Leaves linear, over 3 mm long, mucronate Noaea
15 Leaves smaller than 2 mm long, ovate squamiform to suborbicular-triangular, not mucronate Salsola pp
16 Leaf axils provided with groups of lanate hairs 17
16 Leaf axils glabrous or glabrescent 23
17 Leaves opposite 18
17 Leaves alternate 19
18 Leaves triangular in cross-section, canaliculate, clearly apiculate Nucularia
18 Leaves cylindrical in cross-section, tapered towards the base and rounded apex Seidlitzia pp
19 Leaves triangular, ± flattened, clasping the stem almost completely and finishing in a rigid spine Cornulaca
19 Leaves semicylindrical, sessile but slightly clasping, spiny or not 20
20 Fruit perianth winged. Leaves ending in a long prickly tip .2-4 mm Agathophora
20 Fruit perianth not winged. Leaves ending in a small tip slightly prickly 0.5-1 mm, or without a prickly tip 21
21 Leaves with a tapered basal portion which becomes hardened. Staminodes small, as appendages alternating with the stamens Sevada
21 Leaves with basal portion not hardened. No staminodes 22
22 Flowers solitary in leaf axils. Seed arranged horizontally Traganum
22 Flowers numerous in terminal glomeruli. Seed vertical Traganopsis
23 Fruit perianth winged Salsola pp
23 Fruit perianth wingless 24
24 Leaves perfoliate, subglobose, give the appearance of articulated stems Halopeplis
24 Leaves ± petiolate, not clasping nor perfoliate; stems do not seem articulated Suaeda
Updated by: G. Benítez & J. Molero Mesa.