Halocnemum is a genus of halophyte shrubs in the family Amaranthaceae. The plants are fleshy and apparently articulated with characteristic globular or short-cylindrical lateral branches, and reduced leaves and flowers. There are three or two species, occurring from Southern Europe and North Africa to Asia.
Description
The species of
Halocnemum are
or low
up to 1.5 m, much branched from base. Young
Plant stem are succulent, glabrous, apparently articulated, with characteristic globular to short-cylindrical lateral branches. The opposite
Leaf are fleshy, glabrous, sessile, joined at base and surrounding the stem, their blades reduced to small scales.
The inflorescences are terminal or numerous opposite lateral, short-cylindrical or orbicular spikes. Cymes of (two to) three flowers are sitting in the axils of shield-like, opposite . The mostly bisexual flowers are somewhat immersed in the inflorescence axis. The perianth consists of three subequal, membranous that are loosely connate at base. There is one stamen exserting the flower and an ovoid ovary with a thick style and two stigmas.
In fruit the perianth remains unchanged. The fruit is obovoid and free. The vertical seed is orange to red-brown, with slightly papillose seed coat. The seed contains the curved embryo and copious perisperm (feeding tissue).
Distribution and habitat
The distribution area of
Halocnemum covers
Southern Europe, the Mediterranean region,
North Africa,
Eastern Europe,
Southwest Asia,
Middle Asia to China (
Xinjiang,
Gansu).
The plants grow in coastal or wet inland salt flats, , on salty clay, in salt steppes or dried river beds, up to 1200 m above sea level.
Systematics
The genus
Halocnemum was first published in 1819 by Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein,
at that time comprising two species,
Halocnemum strobilaceum and
Halocnemum caspicum (the latter is now a synonym of
Halostachys belangeriana).
Halocnemum strobilaceum was selected as the
type species.
During the 19th century further species were added, later these were grouped into other genera or treated just as synonyms of
Halocnemum strobilaceum. For many years the genus
Halocnemum has been regarded as
monotypic. In 2008, the new species
Halocnemum yurdakulolii was discovered,
although some treat it as a synonym of
Halocnemum cruciatum in 2012.
Phylogenetics research confirmed, that Halocnemum is closely related to the genus Halostachys.
Species
According to Bacchetta et al.
(2012) and Biondi et al.
(2013),
Halocnemum comprises two species.
Plants of the World Online (2024) also accepts
H. yurdakulolii.
[
]
-
Halocnemum cruciatum (Forssk.) Tod., an upright shrub up to 1,5 m, pale yellowish-green, all lateral branches globular, and seeds papillose along the raphe (seed-edge). Distributed mainly at the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea: southern Spain and southern Italy (Sicily, Sardinia), Tunisia, Egypt, Libya (Cyrenaica), Cyprus, southern coast of Turkey, more rarely in inland (Sinai Peninsula, Morocco, salt basins of the Sahara and the Saharo-Arabian area).
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Halocnemum strobilaceum (Pall.) M. Bieb.: a dwarf prostrate-ascendent shrub up to 60 cm, glaucous, with globular or cylindrical lateral branches and spikes, and more or less smooth seeds. Widely distributed in Eastern Europe (from Italy and Greece to Ukraine) and in Asia (Anatolia, Caucasus region, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Arabia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Mongolia, western China).
-
Halocnemum yurdakulolii , endemic to southern Turkey.
[ Halocnemum yurdakulolii Yaprak. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 5 April 2024.]
Uses
Halocnemum strobilaceum has small economic value as a grazing plant for camels and sheep.
[Bacchetta, G., Brullo, C., Brullo, S., Guarino, R., & Sciandrello, S.: Studi tassonomici sulle popolazioni italiane di Halocnemum strobilaceum (Amaranthaceae). In: Bacchetta, G., Brullo, C., Brullo, S., Guarino, R., & Sciandrello, S.: Flora vascolare d'Italia: studi biosistematici, taxa endemici e loci classici. Roma, 2012. p. 29–30. .]
[Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein: Flora Taurico-Caucasica 3: p. 3 First publication scanned at BHL]
[Biondi, E., Casavecchia, S., Estrelles, E., & Soriano, P.: Halocnemum M. Bieb. vegetation in the Mediterranean Basin. In: Plant Biosystems 147(3), 2013, p. 536–547 ]
[Hedge, I.C.: Halocnemum. In: Rechinger, K.H. et al. (eds.): Flora Iranica, Vol. 172, Chenopodiaceae, Akad. Druck, Graz 1997, p. 126–128. .]
[Kadereit, G., Mucina, L. & Freitag, H.: Phylogeny of Salicornioideae (Chenopodiaceae): diversification, biogeography, and evolutionary trends in leaf and flower morphology, In: Taxon, Volume 55 (3), 2006, p. 617–642.]
[ Entry at Pl@antUse, according to Gintzburger et al.: Rangelands in Uzbekistan, 2003. Accessed 8 August 2016.]
[Yaprak, A.E., & Kadereit, G.: A new species of Halocnemum M.Bieb. (Amaranthaceae) from southern Turkey. In: Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 158, 2008, p. 716–721. ]
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