Amaranthaceae
Bassia

Bassia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Kuntze

First published in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 547 (1891)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Medit., Moldova to N. China. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2016) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 1: Elatinaceae to Sphenocleaceae.

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual, (10–)30–100 cm, with long ascending branches from base upwards or in dwarfed forms simple
Morphology Stem
Stem and branches whitish, wiry, glabrescent in older parts, increasingly clothed upwards with patent or crisped whitish hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves flat, oblong or ovate, ± acute, hirsute or villous, those of main stem and lower part of branches 5–20 × 2–10 mm, diminishing upwards along branches and much reduced in inflorescence
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences spiciform; flowers solitary or in groups of 2–3 which become distant below in fruit
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite and female
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth long-pilose, fused at its half, lobes rounded, incurved, membranous and green-vittate, each bearing a dorsal spine which is seen at the flowers and rapidly accrescent, ± glabrous and strongly inwardly uncinate at tip
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary rounded, depressed; style very short, with 2 brownish filiform stigmas ± 1 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments white, delicate, 1 mm; anthers roundish
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit ± 1.5 mm diameter, compressed- ovoid, greenish to black with a paler centre.
Ecology
Saline flats, roadsides, bank of Washash drain; alt. 0–1000 m;
Phenology
Flowering & fruiting: Sep.–Nov.
Distribution
Iraq: Occasional and rather local in the desert region. Spain, SE and E Europe, C Asia, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China (Xinjiang).
Vernacular
?SUĀD or ARID (Guest 3565 ); ?KHANAIQ or HUMMAIDH (Guest et al. 16146).
Recognition
The species appears to be not uniform within the range: the forms from Spain with almost glabrous perianth are described as B. reuterianaGuerke; besides, such forms with glabrescent perianth and lanceolate leaves are known in Xinjiang.
[FIQ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0