Kingdom Plantae Family Amaranthaceae Genus Neokochia Higher classification Bassia | Order Caryophyllales Subfamily Camphorosmoideae Scientific name Kochia americana Rank Species | |
Similar Bassia, Amaranthaceae, Camphorosmoideae, Spirobassia, Grayia spinosa | ||
Neokochia americana (syn. Bassia americana, Kochia americana) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family, subfamily Camphorosmoideae, known by the common name green molly.
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Description
Neokochia americana is a squat dwarf shrub growing many sprawling, mostly unbranched stems to a maximum height near 40 centimeters. The stems are covered in small, fleshy, knobby leaves less than 2 centimeters long. The stems and foliage are sometimes slightly hairy. Leaf anatomy is of the "C3 Neokochia americana type" with a thick-walled aqueous tissue. White-woolly flowers appear singly or in small clusters. The fruiting perianth is 5-winged.
Distribution
Neokochia americana is native to the western United States from California to Montana to Texas, where it grows in dry, alkaline soils such as alkali flats and desert washes. A closely related species is Neokochia californica.