Horaninowia ulicina Fisch. & C. A. Mey.

Horaninovia minor Schrenk (in Fischer & C. A. Meyer, Enum. Pl. Nov. 1: 11. 1841) has been reported from Xinjiang (Tacheng) by Grubov (Rast. Tsentral. Azii 2: 100. 1966), based on a specimen collected in 1840 by Schrenk “near Chuguchak” and preserved at LE. No specimen has been seen by the present authors. It differs from H. ulicina in having leaves and bracts arcuate curved, perianth wingless, and anthers with a linear appendage.

Plants 20-40 cm tall, densely papillate-hispidulous. Stem much branched, slender; branches opposite, oblique, straight, thin, terete or obscurely ribbed. Leaves opposite, sessile, green, acicular, straight or slightly arcuate, 5-10 mm, base slightly expanded, margin membranous. Inflorescence of axillary, globose, usually numerous-flowered glomerules, pilose; bract 1 and bractlets 2 per flower; bract of same shape as leaves; bractlets yellow-white, stiffly acicular, shorter than leaves, glabrous, base expanded, appearing ovate or suborbicular. Flowers bisexual. Perianth segments 5, oblong-lanceolate, membranous, perianth below wing slightly thickened, distal part incurved and enclosing utricle; wings unequal, dry membranous, margin erose. Filaments not exserted, short; anthers ovoid to cylindric, apex obtuse or acute, without an appendage. Utricle 1-1.5 mm in diam.; pericarp light brown. Embryo yellow-brown. Fl. and fr. Jul-Oct.

Dunes. N Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan].