''Halogeton'' is a plant genus of the family

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, maki ...

. The genus name, ''Halogeton'', derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."Holmgren, Ned A. (2004).
''Halogeton''C. A. Meyer
" in ''Flora of North America: North of Mexic
Volume 4: Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1
', Editorial Committee of the ''Flora of North America'' (Oxford University Press, 2004). . Online versions retrieved May 22, 2007.

Description

The genus ''Halogeton'' includes both annual and perennial species. The leaves are fleshy cylindrical, terminating in a persistent or caducous bristle. There are three to several flowers in the axil of each floral leaf. The perianth segments are membranous. The stamens are fixed on a papillose staminodial disk. In fruit, the tepals develop five wings.

Distribution and habitat

The annual species grow in temperate salines and ruderal places, while the perennials are found in warm and hot deserts. They are tolerant of fairly saline soils.

Uses

''Halogeton sativus'' was cultivated for the enormous 18th Century barilla industry in Spain that produced

soda ash Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...

. The species was considered to be a "

saltwort Saltwort is a common name for various genera of flowering plants that thrive in salty environments, typically in coastal salt marshes and seashores, including: :*'' Salsola'' and related genera within subfamily '' Salsoloideae'' :*''Salicornia'' :* ...

" plant.

Weeds

Halogeton glomeratus ''Halogeton glomeratus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common names saltlover, Aral barilla, and halogeton. It is native to Russia, Central Asia and China, but the plant is probably better known in the w ...

'' is considered a noxious weed in most regions of the United States; a particular difficulty with ''H. glomeratus'' is that it is poisonous to sheep, and possibly to cattle, due to the high concentration of

sodium oxalate Sodium oxalate, or disodium oxalate, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the sodium Salt (chemistry), salt of oxalic acid. It contains sodium cations and oxalate anions . It is a white, crystalline, odorless solid, that decomp ...

in the dry plant.Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (2007).
Halogeton (Halogeton Glomeratus)
" webpage retrieved May 23, 2007. The common names for ''H. glomeratus'' include halogeton (the same as the genus),

barilla ''Barilla'' refers to several species of salt-tolerant (halophyte) plants that, until the 19th century, were the primary source of soda ash and hence of sodium carbonate. The word "barilla" was also used directly to refer to the soda ash obtain ...

, and saltlover.Integrated Taxonomic Information Service (2007)
''Halogeton''
retrieved May 19, 2007.

Ecology

''Halogeton'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including The Nutmeg and the ''

Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors have t ...

'' case-bearers ''C. klimeschiella'' and ''C. parthenica''.

Systematics

The genus Halogeton was published in 1829 by

Carl Anton von Meyer Carl Anton von Meyer (in Russian: Карл Анто́нович фон Ме́йер, ''Karl Antonovich von Meyer'') (1 April 1795 – 24 February 1855) was a Germans, German, Russified botanist and explorer. Meyer was born in Vitebsk. He received ...

(in Ledeb., Icon. Pl. Fl. Ross. 1: 10), with the type species ''

'' (M. Bieb.) C.A.Mey. Synonyms are ''Agathophora'' (Fenzl) Bunge and ''Micropeplis'' Bunge. The genus includes about 5 species: * ''

Halogeton alopecuroides ''Halogeton'' is a plant genus of the family Amaranthaceae. The genus name, ''Halogeton'', derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."Holmgren, Ned A. (2004).''Halogeton''C. A. Meyer" in ''Flora of North America: North of MexicVol ...

'' (Delile) Moq. * ''

Halogeton arachnoideus ''Halogeton'' is a plant genus of the family Amaranthaceae. The genus name, ''Halogeton'', derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."Holmgren, Ned A. (2004).''Halogeton''C. A. Meyer" in ''Flora of North America: North of MexicVol ...

'' Moq. * ''

'' (M. Bieb.) C. A. Mey. * ''

Halogeton sativus ''Halogeton'' is a plant genus of the family Amaranthaceae. The genus name, ''Halogeton'', derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."Holmgren, Ned A. (2004).''Halogeton''C. A. Meyer" in ''Flora of North America: North of MexicVol ...

'' (L.) Moq., Synonym ''Salsola sativa'' L. * ''

Halogeton tibeticus ''Halogeton'' is a plant genus of the family Amaranthaceae. The genus name, ''Halogeton'', derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."Holmgren, Ned A. (2004).''Halogeton''C. A. Meyer" in ''Flora of North America: North of MexicVol ...

'' Bunge (Bunge 1862; Botschantzev 1977).

References

Hossein Akhani, Gerald Edwards, Eric H. Roalson:''Diversification Of The Old World Salsoleae S.L. (Chenopodiaceae): Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Of Nuclear And Chloroplast Data Sets And A Revised Classification'' In: International Journal of Plant Sciences, 168(6), p. 942 and 945-946, 2007. (chapters Description, Habitat, Systematics) {{Authority control Halophytes Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae genera Barilla plants