Chenopodium nitens Benet-Pierce & M.G.Simpson 
Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society: The taxonomy of Chenopodium desiccatum and C. nitens, sp. nov. 141(2), 2014, pp. 161–172

[Chenopodium HOME]

Etymology	Latin for ‘‘shining, polished’’ after the lustrous, shiny seed coat
Description:	Plant an annual, mostly prostrate herb, occasionally erect, mostly branched from base, forming mats to ca 3 dm in diameter. Leaves alternate; petioles 2– 3 mm long; blades narrowly elliptic or narrowly oblong to narrowly lanceolate, very rarely basally lobed, 6–14 (18) mm long, 2– 4 mm wide, base cuneate or narrowly cuneate, apex acute, farinose abaxially, less so adaxially. Inflorescence cymes in axillary and terminal spikes, 1–7 cm long, bracteate below, ebracteate from midlevel to apex. Flowers perfect, radial, approximately 1 mm in diameter. Perianth uniseriate; calyx synsepalous, with five lobes, distinct to near base; lobes apically obtuse, farinose abaxially. Stamens five, distinct, whorled, antisepalous; filaments terete, yellow, with laterally dehiscent, dithecal, sub-basifixed anthers. Gynoecium syncarpous, hypogynous; ovary superior, with two stigmas. Placentation basal with one curved ovule. Fruit horizontal; fruit wall not adherent to seed coat. Seeds flat, lenticular, ca. 1.1 (1.0–1.2) mm in diameter, margin acute; seed coat black, very shiny and finely tessellate.
Distribution:	USA: AZ, CA, CO, KS, MO, NE, NM, TX, WY
Synonyms:	Chenopodium desiccatum A. Nelson, Bot. Gaz. 34: 362 1902 Chenopodium leptophyllum (Nutt. ex Moq.) Nutt. ex S. Watson subsp. desiccatum (A. Nelson) Aellen, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 26: 136 1929 Chenopodium leptophyllum (Nutt. ex Moq.) Nutt. ex S. Watson var. oblongifolium S.Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 9: 95. 1874 Chenopodium oblongifolium (S.Watson) Rydb., ined., Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 33: 137 1906 [not Chenopodium oblongifolium (Waldst. & Kit.) E.H.L. Krause, Deutschl. Fl. ed. 2, 5: 177 1901] Chenopodium pratericola var. oblongifolium (S.Watson) Wahl, Bartonia 27: 19 1954
Type:	Howell 12543: CAS 391636
Website Info:	We thank all the Herbaria who have very generously have allowed us to display their images. All images with a RED outline were either provided by the linked Herbaria or given us access to their website to obtain such images, or they were scanned while on loan to us. Please see the credits and further information by clicking on the Herbaria acronyms. The specimens’ images without such red outline, were taken by us during our research visits. All fruit and seed images have been taken with the Visionary Digital Microscope System, Dun, Inc. Palmyra, VA by Lee Simpson at San Diego State University. Website development by Lee Simpson. Contact: sdsuherbarium@sdsu.edu

Map:





Habitat and Field Images


Type Specimen:

Specimens:

CAS 148341 ORE 28572

NY 1795672     ARIZ 35306 SMU NY 1795671

CHSC 58839 UC 1594604

GH 3930 MO 1174261

NY 990872 RM 530823

K UC 148061

NY 572124 TEX-LL

SRSC TEX-LL 00039846

BRIT UTEP 11374

ARIZ 366855 Tiehm 13684		ASC 46662 Ricketson 2087		ASC 85480 Christie 1264		ASC 101424 Goodwin 3578

ASU 20611 Waller 970		BRIT Waller 970

BRY 472407 Rolfsmeier 14068		BRY 472414 Rolfsmeier 14155		BRY 487856 Ebertowski 2002		BRY 488174 Ebertowski 5425

CAS 85781 Eastwood 1910		CAS 458029 Gregory & McMillan 0-151		CDA 23383 Bellue 8/10/1938		CHSC 29910 Ondricek 97

CHSC 60892 Oswald 5659		ECON 22809 Plowman & Killman 252		GH 00263672 Fendler 717		GH 00404592 (right only) Hitchcock 1031C

GH 00460167 Skoglund 231		GH Lloyd 3114		GH Waller 3157		TEX-LL 39906 Johnston 611B

MO 1092502 Bush 14136		NY 190171 Hazlett 10076		NY 652205		NY Stephens 72820

OSU 218428 Wilson 11530		P 4991975 Arsene 18947		RM 338432 Hartman 8111		RM 578117 Evert 17442

RM 704732 Chumley 210		RSA 103125 Jones 907		SMU Jones 907		SRSC Keeling 164

SRSC Powell 7042		US 210308 Rydberg 1836		US 279295 Wilcox 73		US 369448 J. A. Williams 2869

US 837882 E.L. Johnston 611B		UC 851109 Eastwood 713		UTEP 72679 Worthington 4743		RM 827650 Ebertowski 5425