Zygophyllum portulacoides (Gintzburger et al., 2003)
| Zygophyllum portulacoides (Gintzburger et al., 2003) |
Zygophyllum portulacoides Cham.
Local name:
- Russian: Парнолистник крупнолистный - parnolistnik krupnolistnyj
Chromosome number: 2n = 22 (Zahareva and Astanova 1968).
Description and morphology: Perennial herb (height 15–50 cm). Fleshy, unlignified and fusiform root (15–20 mm thick). Stem: glabrous, dichotomous branching. Leaves: (3–4 cm long), 1–3 pairs of fleshy, orbicular-elliptic leaflets. Flowers: bisexual; without corolla.
Reproduction: Flowering and fruit maturation: April–July. Fruit: capsule (27–32 mm long, 10–12 mm wide), fleshy, 5-edged, narrowelliptic without wings. Seed: oblong-lanceolate (up to 8 mm long), richly covered by white papillae.
Pastoral importance: Not touched by livestock.
Habitat: Xerophyte. Occurs on fixed sands and gravelly-rocky slopes; usually on pastures on Artemisia-solonchak deserts.
Distribution: Irano-Turanian region (Middle and Central Asia) and Afghanistan.
Other: Zygophyllum sp.
