Enchylaena R.Br.

Scientific Description

Common name. Barrier Saltbushes. Family Chenopodiaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Shrubs. Plants succulent; unarmed. Leaves cauline. Plants with a basal concentration of leaves, or with neither basal nor terminal concentrations of leaves. Stems not ‘jointed’. Young stems striate. Stem internodes solid. In slightly saline soils. Leaves minute to large; alternate; spiral, or distichous; fleshy; subsessile, or sessile; simple; epulvinate. Leaf blades entire; solid; terete, or semi-terete; ovate, or linear; attenuate at the base, or cuneate at the base, or rounded at the base. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire. Leaves without a persistent basal meristem. Leaf anatomy. Hydathodes present, or absent. Hairs present, or absent.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers solitary; sessile; bracteate (1 or 2 minute bracts), or ebracteate; ebracteolate; minute, or small; regular; cyclic. Hypogynous disk present, or absent. Perianth sepaline; 5; 1 -whorled; joined (imbricate); fleshy, or non-fleshy; persistent; accrescent, or non-accrescent. Calyx present; not replaced by accrescent bracteoles; 5; gamosepalous; blunt-lobed; imbricate; cupuliform, or urceolate; fleshy; persistent (in the fruit); accrescent. The fruiting calyx berrylike; wingless, spineless and without tubercles. Corolla absent. Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 5. Androecial members free of the perianth, or adnate (to the base of the perianth); all equal; free of one another; 1 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 5; all more or less similar in shape; isomerous with the perianth; oppositisepalous. Anthers bent inwards in bud; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; tetrasporangiate. Gynoecium (2–)5 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synovarious to synstylovarious; superior. Ovary unilocular; 1 locular; sessile. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 2–3; partially joined. Stigmas 3 (usually). Placentation basal. Ovules in the single cavity 1; pendulous, or ascending; non-arillate; campylotropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit non-fleshy (pericarp crustaceous above and membranous below, fruiting perianth succulent with a cartilaginous to woody inner layer); indehiscent; capsular-indehiscent, or a nut; enclosed in the fleshy perianth; 1 celled. Gynoecia of adjoining flowers combining to form a multiple fruit, or not forming a multiple fruit. Fruit 1 seeded. Seeds more or less non-endospermic. Perisperm present. Cotyledons 2. Embryo curved (annular).

Etymology. From the Greek for "juicy, succulent" and "cloak"; refers to the ripe fruiting perianth.