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Suaeda calceoliformis (Hook.) MoquinChenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)NativePursh's Sea-BlightHorned Sea-Blight |
May Photo
Plant Characteristics:
Annual, erect or decumbent, stems branched above, glabrous and usually glaucous,
often with red stripes at maturity, to 2 dm. high; lvs. linear, subterete, 1-2
cm. long, numerous, becoming much shorter in the infl.; fls. crowded, barely 2
mm. wide; perianth lobes corniculate (horned), unequal; seed shiny black with
slight reticulations, 1 mm. broad. (this
description is a combination of my measurements, the key listed below under Text
Ref. and the description of S. depressa
var. erecta from Munz, Flora So. Calif.
369).
Habitat:
Salt flats and disturbed, open, saline soils; widespread in North
America. Bloom dates not given.
Photographs of blooming plant taken in May.
Name:
Suaeda, An Arabic name.
(Munz, Flora So. Calif. 369).
Calceolus, Latin, a small shoe.
Formis, Latin, shape.
Calceoliformis, shaped like a small shoe, referring to the horned perianth lobes.
(John Johnson).
General:
Rare in the study area, found in 1992 in only one colony and this
northerly of the Fish & Game trailer along the old road to Shellmaker Island
and to some extent on the island itself. The
plant was found again in 1993 and 1994 but at the time of this edit, 2002, it
has not been seen again. This plant
is listed as S. depressa in Abrams,
Jepson and Munz. S. calceoliformis was last collected in Upper Newport Bay in August
1924 and in the lower bay, near Lido Island in July 1938.
(my comments with dates of collection from Fred Roberts).
The perianth segments lobes of this plant are supposed to be horned per
the key in Madrono, I find only one of them has an appendage and this
appears to be more of a keel, or ridge rather than horned.
One of the native halophytes found in Upper Newport Bay.
(my further comments). S. calceoliformis was
used by some southern California basket weavers as a source of black dye.
Mature rushes (Juncus species) would be steeped for several hours in an
infusion made from either S. calceoliformis or S. moquinii.
(Stevens, Michelle L. “ETHNOECOLOGY OF SELECTED CALIFORNIA WETLAND PLANTS” FREMONTIA,
A Journal of the California Native Plant Society Vol. 32, No. 4. October
2004 pp. 7-15). Suaeda depressa var. erecta
misapplied. (Hickman, Ed. 515).
Text Ref:
From a key to coastal and southern California Suaeda in an article by
Wayne R. Ferren, Jr. and Sherry A. Whitmore, "Suaeda Esteroa
(Chenopodiaceae), A New Species From Estuaries Of Southern California and Baja
California" Madrono, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 181-190, 15 July 1983;
Hickman, Ed. 515; Munz, Flora So. Calif.
369; Roberts 19.
Photo Ref:
May 1 88 # 16,17; May-July 92, no number.
Identity: by John Johnson,
confirmed by F. Roberts.
First Found: May 1988.
Computer Ref: Plant Data 388.
Have plant specimen.
Last edit 4/8/05.
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May Photo