Greasewood
Sacrobatus vermiculatus -
Goosefoot Family Chenopodiaceae
Greasewood is also known as black greasewood or chicowood. Sacrobatus is from the Greek sarco meaning "flesh" and batos meaning "bramble or thorn," referring to the succulent leaves and spiny branches of the plant. The family name "Chenopodiaceae" translates to "goose foot," referring to some members of this family's leaf shape, which resembles the foot of a goose. Greasewood was first collected by John C. Fremont – a famous Civil War veteran, western explorer and one-time presidential candidate – and first named by John Torrey as Fremontia vermiculatus, until it was discovered that the genus Sarcobatus already existed.
Range
Greasewood grows throughout the West, north from California to Canada, east across the northern United States and southern Canada to the Dakotas, and south to Mexico. It grows at elevations from 2000 to 8500 feet. Large areas may be covered by greasewood.
Description
Greasewoods are thorny, many branched shrubs which grow three to seven feet tall. The bark is white or dull gray in color. Leaves are fleshy, almost succulent, and grow from _ inch 1 _ inches long. Male and female flowers are separate, but they occur on the same plant (monecious—meaning "one home"). Rose-colored male flowers are arranged along a short, upright spike. The greenish female flowers are also arranged along a short spike, shorter than the male flowers, and have fewer flowers per spike and arise from the leaf axils. The male spikes tend to be terminal. The seeds are cup-shaped with a papery wing below. The entire structure resembles a small pipe.
Flowering Period
Greasewood flowers from mid-spring through the summer. On each plant, the male flowers mature and dry up several weeks before the female flower forms. This ensures cross-fertilization of the flowers, not self-pollination.
Habitats
Greasewood plants grow in alkaline or saline soils. Often, sodium or potassium salts accumulate beneath the plant. Greasewood grows in association with other alkaline plants such as shadscale (Atriplex sp.), saltbush (Atriplex sp.), halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus) and salt grass (Disticalis spicata).
Notes |
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