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fivehorn smotherweed
Scientific Name: Bassia hyssopifolia
Family: Chenopodiaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Annual
Other Names:
Bassia hyssopifolia: An Overview
Bassia hyssopifolia, belonging to the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), is commonly known as five-horn smotherweed or five-hook bassia. This plant has various common names and is the subject of ongoing research and observation.
Considerations for Pets
- One common name is thorn orache, suggesting the plant may have thorns.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Bassia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Kuntze
- Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth or Pigweed Family)
- Synonyms: Salsola hyssopifolia, Echinopsilon hyssopifolia
Common Names
- Five-horn Smotherweed
- Five-hook Bassia
- Smotherweed
- Smother Weed
- Thorn Orache
Distribution and Habitat
- Reported as invasive in several US states, including CA, NV, OR, UT, and WA.
Ecological Role
- Classified as an invasive shrubby annual.
- Considered an invasive species outside its native range.
Morphological Characteristics
- Five-horn Smotherweed is a forb/herb (a non-woody plant that is not a grass) with gray-green coloration.
- Plants grow to a height of 5-100 cm.
- Stems can be divaricately branched or simple.
- Leaves are sessile (or sometimes narrowed into a pseudopetiole), with lanceolate-elliptic or lanceolate blades.
- Flowers are green and inconspicuous.
- Bloom Period: Early Summer
- Inflorescences may contain a mixture of perfect and unisexual flowers.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- The plant's pollen is known as an allergen.
Further Information
- Information available from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
- Species profile, habitat, and control information may be available at http://www.niiss.org/cwis438/Browse/Organism/Organ.