''Chenopodium robertianum'' (Syn. ''Einadia hastata,'' ''Rhagodia hastata''), known by the common name of saloop or berry saltbush is a small plant in 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 it ...

. This species is found in coastal and inland areas of eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Occasionally seen in

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

gullies, though mostly seen in more open areas. Often found in the heavier soils, up to 50 cm tall. Leaves may be opposite or alternate on the stem. Triangular to broadly triangular in shape. Tiny green flowers form in summer.Les Robinson - Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, page 153

Taxonomy

The original specimen was collected at

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in the early colonial days. This species first appeared in the scientific literature as ''Rhagodia hastata'' in 1810 in the ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

'', authored by the prolific Scottish botanist, Robert Brown. In 1978,

Andrew John Scott Andrew John Scott may refer to: * Andrew Scott (museum director), British museum director * Andrew J Scott Andrew John Scott is a British economist, currently Professor of Economics at London Business School, known for his work on longevity an ...

made the combination ''Einadia hastata''. After phylogenetical research, Fuentes-Bazan et al. (2012) included this species in genus ''

Chenopodium ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifica ...

'', as ''Chenopodium hastatum'' (R.Br.) S. Fuentes & Borsch., but this name was a later homonym and thus illegitimate. In 2017, Iamonico & Mosyakin replaced it by the name ''Chenopodium robertianum'', honouring the botanist Robert Brown.

References

Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Guilhem Mansion, Thomas Borsch: Towards a species level tree of the globally diverse genus ''Chenopodium'' (Chenopodiaceae). In: ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.'' Vol. 62, No. 1, 2012, , p. 372, DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.006 Mosyakin, S.L. & Iamonico, D. 2017. Nomenclatural changes in ''Chenopodium'' (incl. ''Rhagodia'') (Chenopodiaceae), with considerations on relationships of some Australian taxa and their possible Eurasian relatives. ''Nuytsia'' 28: 255–271.

External links

* * robertianum Caryophyllales of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1810 {{Australia-eudicot-stub