''Anabasis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of plants in the subfamily

Salsoloideae The Salsoloideae are a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae, formerly in family Chenopodiaceae. Description These are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs and some trees. Stems and leaves are often succulent. The ovary contains a spiral embryo. In most genera ...

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, making i ...

. It is distributed in southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia.

Description

The species of genus ''Anabasis'' are

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

herbs or subshrubs. Their stems are fleshy and articulated, mostly glabrous with the exception of hairy tufts at the nodes, rarely with papillae-like

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a p ...

s or woolly. The opposite

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

may be reduced to small scales or normally developed. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...

s are elongated or condensed spikes. The

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

flowers are sitting solitary or in groups of up to 4 in the axils of upper leaves (

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

s), with 2 paired bracteoles. Flowers consist of 5 subequal membranous

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla ( petals) or tepals when ...

segments, that are free nearly from base; 3-5

stamens The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

without appendages; and an ovary with 2-3 thick and short stigmas. In fruit, prominent membranous wings develop on the back of the perianth segments, usually 2-3 of them larger than the others. Rarely, the perianth remains unwinged. The fruit may be baccate or dry, either vertical and compressed or nearly spherically shaped. The lenticular seed is vertically orientated, filled by the spiral embryo without endosperm.

Distribution

The genus ''Anabasis'' is distributed from Southwest Europe and

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, the shores of the Red Sea (

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

) to Southwest Asia and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

. The

center of diversity A center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. They are also considered centers of diversity. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Ni ...

lies in Asia. ''Anabasis'' species grow in

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate gras ...

s and

semidesert A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

Systematics

The genus name ''Anabasis'' was published in 1753 by Carl von Linné in ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...

''. Type species is '' Anabasis aphylla'' L. The genus ''Anabasis'' belongs to the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

Salsoleae s.s., in the subfamily

of the family

(which includes the family ''Chenopodiaceae''). According to Akhani et al. (2007), the genus comprises 29 species: Fredolia-aretioides-Sur-khe

* '' Anabasis aphylla'' L. * '' Anabasis aretioides'' Moq. & Coss. (Syn. ''Fredolia aretioides'' (Moq. & Coss. ex Bunge) Ulbr.) * ''

Anabasis articulata ''Anabasis articulata'' is a plant of the genus ''Anabasis''. It a salt-tolerant xerophyte that is found in the Syrian desert. Bedouins often use the plant's ashes as a soap substitute. The plant is also known for its medical properties. Algeri ...

'' (Forssk.) Moq. * '' Anabasis brevifolia'' C. A. Mey. * '' Anabasis brachiata'' Fisch. & C. A. Mey. * '' Anabasis calcarea'' (Charif & Aellen) Bokhari & Wendelbo * '' Anabasis cretacea'' Pall. * '' Anabasis ebracteolata'' Korov. ex Botsch. * '' Anabasis ehrenbergii'' Schweinf. ex Boiss. * '' Anabasis elatior'' (C. A. Mey.) Schrenk * '' Anabasis eriopoda'' (Schrenk) Benth. ex Volkens * '' Anabasis eugeniae'' Iljin * '' Anabasis ferganica'' Drob. * '' Anabasis gypsicola'' Iljin * '' Anabasis haussknechtii'' Bunge ex Boiss. * '' Anabasis iranica'' Iljin * '' Anabasis jaxartica'' (Bunge) Benth. ex Volkens * '' Anabasis lachnantha'' Aellen & Rech. f. * '' Anabasis macroptera'' Moq. * '' Anabasis oropediorum'' Maire * '' Anabasis paucifolia'' M. Pop. ex Iljin * '' Anabasis pelliotii'' Danguy * '' Anabasis prostrata'' Pomel. * '' Anabasis salsa'' (C. A. Mey.) Benth. ex Volkens * '' Anabasis syriaca'' Iljin * '' Anabasis tianschanica'' Botsch. * '' Anabasis truncata'' (Schrenk) Bunge * '' Anabasis turgaica'' Iljin & Krasch. * '' Anabasis turkestanica'' Iljin & Korov.

Chemistry

The Nicotine-related alkaloid Anabasine was named for the toxic Central Asiatic species ''Anabasis aphylla'' - from which it was first isolated by Orechoff and Menschikoff in the year 1931. It was widely used as an insecticide in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

until 1970. Anabasine is also the active principle responsible for deaths from poisoning caused by the leaves of '' Nicotiana glauca'', the Tree Tobacco.Mizrachi, N.; Levy, S.; Goren, Z. Q. (2000). "Fatal Poisoning from Nicotiana glauca Leaves: Identification of Anabasine by Gas-Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 45 (3): 736–41. .

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), 2007, p. 931–956 I.C.Hedge (1997): ''Anabasis''. - In: Karl Heinz Rechinger et al. (Hrsg.): ''Flora Iranica'', Vol. 172 - Chenopodiaceae. Graz, Akad. Druck, p. 305-306. Linnaeus, Carl (1753)
''Species Plantarum'', p.223, scanned at BHL
/ref> Alexander P. Sukhorukov: "Fruit anatomy of the genus Anabasis (Salsoloideae, Chenopodiaceae)", in: "Australian Systematic Botany", 21 (6), 2008, p. 431-442

External links

* *
''Anabasis'' at Tropicos
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2299558 Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae genera Barilla plants Drought-tolerant plants