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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE GOOSEFOOT FAMILY | ||
| The goosefoots are found in a wide variety of habitats around the world, but are especially common in dry or saline soil. Many species are considered weedy or invasive. This family contains over 1,150 fleshy herbs and shrubs. Some species may have kranz venation. This means that if you scrape the leaf with a sharp object you will see a dark network of veins if you look under a microscope at 10X magnification. This character is often used in the identification of plants in this family. The flowers are very small and are found in dense clusters in the leaf axils or at the ends or branches. The sepals and petals are not easily distinguishable, so they may be referred to as the perianth or as tepals. The flowers have five distinct stamens. There is a wide range of physical variation within species. | ||
| WINGSCALE | ||
| LATIN NAME: Atriplex gardneri var. aptera | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Wingscale grows 10 – 60 cm tall from a thick, woody taproot. This shrub is woody throughout. Its growth form is thick and spreading. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem and have kranz-type venation. The leaves are variously shaped with one prominent vein from the base. The leaves are covered in a fine layer of bran-like scales. The male and female flowers are on separate plants. The female flowers have four-winged bracts, but the male flowers do not. The winged margins on the seeds can be wavy or toothed. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Wingscale grows in barren clay-flats and clayey shortgrass prairie. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant grows in southern Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Wingscale is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is regionally restricted in the province. The populations vary in size and may be susceptible to threats due to occurrences in populated areas or fragile habitats. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WINGSCALE | ||
| * Are the bracts four-winged? * Are the plants woody? * Are the flowers very small and in clusters? * Did you find in southern Saskatchewan? |
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If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have wingscale! |
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