Sarcobatus [SEP] parent taxon
Sarcobatus
Sarcobatus is a North American genus of two species of flowering plants, formerly considered to be a single species. Common names for "S. vermiculatus" include greasewood, seepwood, and saltbush. Traditionally, "Sarcobatus" has been treated in the family Chenopodiaceae, but the APG III system of 2009 recognizes it as the sole genus in the family Sarcobataceae.
Description.
The "Sarcobatus" plants are deciduous shrubs growing to 0.5–3 m tall with spiny branches and succulent leaves, 10–40 mm long and 1–2
and is placed in the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots. It was suggested that the plastids and the wood anatomy may show an affinity to Phytolaccaceae and Nyctaginaceae rather than to Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae. The sister taxon of "Sarcobatus" might be "Agdestis".
Species.
The name "Sarcobatus" comes from Greek "sarko" (meaning "flesh") and "batos" (meaning "bramble"), referring to the species' spiny branches and succulent leaves.
The two species are: