Halimione

Halimione
sea purslane (Halimione portulacoides)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Subfamily:	Chenopodioideae
Tribe:	Atripliceae
Genus:	Halimione Aellen (; ; )
Synonyms
Halimus Wallr. (nom. illeg.)

Halimus Wallr. (nom. illeg.)

Halimione is a plant genus from the subfamily Chenopodioideae in the Amaranthaceae family. It is a sister genus of Atriplex and has sometimes been included in this genus.

The species in genus Halimione are annual or perennial herbs with silvery grey stems and leaves. Their stems grow prostrate, ascending or erect. The leaves are opposite in lower part and alternate in upper part of the plants. The leaf blade is oblong with entire margins.

Plants are monoecious. The spicate inflorescences consist of inconspicuous flowers. Male flowers comprise 4-5 perianth segments and 4-5 stamens. Female flowers have 2 totally concrescent, three-lobed bracteoles which enclose the ovary, a perianth is missing.

The pericarp is tightly adherent to the inner side of the bracteoles, and also tightly adherent to the seed. The seed is vertically orientated, with a thin, membraneous seed coat. It is anatomically different from Atriplex (which has a brownish, thick and hard seed coat).

Halimione pedunculata and Halimione verrucifera have a chromosome number of 2n = 18, Halimione portulacoides 2n = 36.

Halimione is distributed in Europe, North Africa, and Asia, ranging from Southwest Asia, and Central Asia to China (Xinjiang).

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Wikipedia