Halocnemum strobilaceum (Pall.) M. Bieb.

Probably undercollected (cf. Freitag in Ali & Ghaffar, eds., Plant Life of S. Asia 87. 1991). A plant of saline and marshy coastal areas, forming rounded clumps; sometimes grazed by camel and sheep and considered a source of potash.

Plants 20-40 cm tall. Stems branched from base; old branches nearly alternate, prostrate or ascending, brown-green, woody, bearing opposite, shortened, budlike, dwarf branchlets; young branchlets opposite, suberect, gray-green, jointed, glabrous. Leaves opposite, connate. Spikes borne on upper branches, decussate, 5-15 × 2-3 mm. Perianth with 2 lateral segments incurved, outline obdeltoid. Seed brown, ovoid or globose, 0.5-0.75 mm in diam., densely finely papillate. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.

Small shrub, usually forming clumps, 20-60 cm, sub-erect to prostrate, much branched, glabrous, yellowish green, branches monoliform with short thick, globular to short and oblong branches; internodes short, cylindrical to club-shaped ending in 2, c. 1 mm long, obovate, ± obtuse, scarious - margined leaves, connate at base, often subtending short, sterile globular, bud-like branches, with 4 rows of very short, rounded sessile, leaves. Bracts of flower clusters reniform sub-orbicular, shed after flowering. Spicate inflorescences short lateral and terminal, sessile, opposite, cone-like or globular to oblong; perianth c. 1.5 mm. Seed c. 0.5-1 mm, compressed, brown, smooth to minutely tuberculate.

Distribution: Mediterranean region, C. & W. Asia, Arabia, Iran to Pakistan and Mongolia.

Fl. Per.: May - September.

Salt-lake shores, other moist saline-alkaline places. NW Gansu, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia (SE European part, SW Siberia); N Africa, SW Asia, SE Europe].

Salicornia strobilacea Pallas, Reise Russ. Reich. 1: 481. 1771.

Salicornia strobilacea Pall., Reise 1: 481, tab. B, fig. 1-2. 1771; Forssk., Fl. Aeg.- Arab. 2. 1775.