Bassia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Kuntz
five-hooked bassia (fivehorn smotherweed)
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
(Previously in Chenopodiaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
five-hooked bassia (fivehorn smotherweed)
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
(Previously in Chenopodiaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Species Information
General:
Annual herb; stems erect, simple to freely branched, 15-60 cm tall, woolly-hairy, often reddish-tinged.
Leaves:
Stem leaves alternate, entire, linear or narrowly lanceolate, 1-4 cm long, without stalks, soft- to woolly-hairy, especially when plants are in flower.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of densely clustered terminal and lateral spikes, with smaller axillary spikes below, greenish; bracts reduced.
Fruits:
Membranous bladders flattened, 2 mm broad with curved, strongly hooked spines; seeds horizontal, flattened.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Green
Blooming Period:
Early Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Bassia hyssopifolia
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
516 | 512 | 519 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
7 | 4 | 10 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
355 | 8 | 332 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 5 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
F | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
3 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
IDF(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry alkaline flats, roadsides and waste places in the steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SC and SE BC; introduced from Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Echinopsilon hyssopifolius (Pall.) Moq.
Kochia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Schrad.