E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott
summer-cypress
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
(Previously in Chenopodiaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Bassia scoparia
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, several, freely branching, strongly to finely woolly giving a silvery or rusty appearance, usually reddish-tinged, especially in the fall, 0.3-1.5 m tall.

Leaves:
Stem leaves alternate, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2-6 cm long, 3-5 nerved, softly hairy to rusty-bristled beneath, upper surface usually glabrous but fringed on the margins; bracts 3-10 mm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of 3-6 flowers in axillary spikes along the stem; calyces rusty and long soft-hairy to woolly long-hairy, prominently flanged in fruit.

Fruits:
Papery, thin, membranous envelopes; seeds horizontal.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry waste places in the steppe zone; rare in SW and NE BC, frequent in SC BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Bassia scoparia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	390	548	710
Slope Gradient (%)	0	4	15
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	168	202	238
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	1	4	7
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	8
Modal BEC Zone Class	BG
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BG(7), PP(1)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Exotic	SNA	Exotic	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Amaranthaceae
Flora North America treatment for Chenopodiaceae (Previous Family)
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-12-02 10:13:13 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.