''Halogeton'' is a plant genus 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 it ...

. The genus name, ''Halogeton'', derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."Holmgren, Ned A. (2004).
''Halogeton''C. A. Meyer
" in ''Flora of North America: North of Mexic
Volume 4: Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1
', Editorial Committee of the ''Flora of North America'' (Oxford University Press, 2004). . Online versions retrieved May 22, 2007.

Description

The genus ''Halogeton'' includes both annual and perennial species. The leaves are fleshy cylindrical, terminating in a persistent or caducous bristle. There are three to several flowers in the axil of each floral leaf. The perianth segments are membranous. The stamens are fixed on a papillose staminodial disk. In fruit, the tepals develop five wings.

Distribution and habitat

The annual species grow in temperate salines and ruderal places, while the perennials are found in warm and hot deserts. They are tolerant of fairly saline soils.

Uses

''Halogeton sativus'' was cultivated for the enormous 18th Century barilla industry in Spain that produced

soda ash Sodium carbonate, , (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield moderately alkaline solutions ...

. The species was considered to be a "

saltwort Saltwort is a common name for various genera of flowering plants that thrive in salty environments, typically in coastal salt marshes and seashores, including: :*''Salsola'' and related genera within subfamily ''Salsoloideae'' :*''Salicornia'' :*'' ...

" plant.

Weeds

'' Halogeton glomeratus'' is considered a noxious weed in most regions of the United States; a particular difficulty with ''H. glomeratus'' is that it is poisonous to sheep, and possibly to cattle, due to the high concentration of

sodium oxalate Sodium oxalate, or disodium oxalate, is the sodium salt of oxalic acid with the formula Na2C2O4. It is a white, crystalline, odorless solid, that decomposes above 290 °C. Disodium oxalate can act as a reducing agent, and it may be used as a pri ...

in the dry plant.Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (2007).
Halogeton (Halogeton Glomeratus)
" webpage retrieved May 23, 2007. The common names for ''H. glomeratus'' include halogeton (the same as the genus),

barilla ''Barilla'' refers to several species of salt-tolerant (halophyte) plants that, until the 19th century, were the primary source of soda ash and hence of sodium carbonate. The word "barilla" was also used directly to refer to the soda ash obtained ...

, and saltlover.Integrated Taxonomic Information Service (2007)
''Halogeton''
retrieved May 19, 2007.

Ecology

''Halogeton'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including The Nutmeg and the ''

Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors hav ...

'' case-bearers ''C. klimeschiella'' and ''C. parthenica''.

Systematics

The genus Halogeton was published in 1829 by

Carl Anton von Meyer Carl Anton von Meyer (in Russian: Карл Анто́нович фон Ме́йер, ''Karl Antonovich von Meyer'') (1 April 1795 – 24 February 1855) was a German, Russified botanist and explorer. Meyer was born in Vitebsk. He received his educa ...

(in Ledeb., Icon. Pl. Fl. Ross. 1: 10), with the type species '' Halogeton glomeratus'' (M. Bieb.) C.A.Mey. Synonyms are ''Agathophora'' (Fenzl) Bunge and ''Micropeplis'' Bunge. The genus includes about 5 species: * '' Halogeton alopecuroides'' (Delile) Moq. * '' Halogeton arachnoideus'' Moq. * '' Halogeton glomeratus'' (M. Bieb.) C. A. Mey. * ''

Halogeton sativus ''Halogeton sativus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is native to Spain, Morocco and Algeria. Rich in salt, in the past it was cultivated to produce soda ash Sodium carbonate, , (also known as washing soda, so ...

'' (L.) Moq., Synonym ''Salsola sativa'' L. * '' Halogeton tibeticus'' Bunge (Bunge 1862; Botschantzev 1977).

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), p. 942 and 945-946, 2007. (chapters Description, Habitat, Systematics) {{Taxonbar, from=Q1024025 Halophytes Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae genera Barilla plants