Salicornia, Linnaeus, 1753

Alonso, M. Ángeles, Crespo, Manuel B. & Freitag, Helmut, 2017, Salicornia cuscoensis (Amaranthaceae / Chenopodiaceae), a new species from Peru (South America), Phytotaxa 319 (3), pp. 254-262 : 258

Key to the South American species of Salicornia :— The key below is based on that by Alonso & Crespo (2008), to which the new species has been added:

1. Plants densely pulvinate, up to 5 cm high and 25 cm in diameter. Leaves carinate. Inflorescence globose, ca. 1.5–2 × 2 mm. Seeds with short, thick papillalike hairs only near micropylar area ........................................................................................... S. pulvinata

− Plants erect to prostrate, never pulvinate, higher and large. Leaves not carinate. Inflorescence longer than wide, ca. 5–150 × 1.5–5 mm. Seeds covered with long, spreading or appressed hairs at least on the edges, or rarely papillate..............................................2

2. Stems mostly erect or ascending, up to 80(–150) cm high, not rooting at nodes (occasionally with some weak roots at basal nodes). Inflorescence ca. 10–150 mm long.....................................................................................................................................................3

− Stems prostrate or procumbent, up to 15 cm high, rooting at nodes. Inflorescence ca. 5–20(–40) mm long....................................4

3. Inflorescence ca. 50–150 × 1–3(–4) mm; terminal spike solitary, rarely with a few lateral ones. Seeds with appressed straight hairs, mostly on the edges ........................................................................................................................................................... S. ambigua

− Inflorescence ca. 10–40(–60) × 3–4 mm; terminal spike usually accompanied with many shorter lateral ones. Seeds covered all over with long, spreading, hooked or curved hairs ................................................................................................................... S. neei

4. Stems clearly suffruticose. Roots thick. Seed testa covered with appressed hairs, mostly on the edges............................. S. andina

− Stems very weakly suffruticose, delicate, creeping. Roots thin and fragile. Seed testa covered all over with spreading, erect hairs.............................................................................................................................................................................................................5

5. Inflorescence 8–14(–16) × (3–) 4–5 mm wide. Seeds 1.3 × 0.9 mm; hairs on testa straight or slightly curved, many of them bifid .. ..................................................................................................................................................................................... S. magellanica

− Inflorescence (8–)16–30(–40) × (2–)2.5–3(–4) mm. Seeds 0.9 × 0.7 mm; hairs on testa straight and simple, accompanied with some papillae .................................................................................................................................................................. S. cuscoensis