Neokochia americana | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Amaranthaceae |
Genus: | Neokochia |
Species: | N. americana |
Binomial name | |
Neokochia americana | |
Neokochia americana (syn. Bassia americana, Kochia americana) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family, subfamily Camphorosmoideae,[1] known by the common name green molly.
Description
Neokochia americana is a squat dwarf shrub growing many sprawling, mostly unbranched stems to a maximum height near 40 centimeters. The stems are covered in small, fleshy, knobby leaves less than 2 centimeters long. The stems and foliage are sometimes slightly hairy. Leaf anatomy is of the "C3 Neokochia americana type" with a thick-walled aqueous tissue.[1] White-woolly flowers appear singly or in small clusters. The fruiting perianth is 5-winged.
Distribution
Neokochia americana is native to the western United States from California to Montana to Texas, where it grows in dry, alkaline soils such as alkali flats and desert washes. A closely related species is Neokochia californica.[1]