Flowers and stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plant. Australian Plant Image index, photo: John Wrigley, east of Eucla, WA

Common Name

Brown-head Samphire

Family

Chenopodiaceae

Notes

Shrub or perennial forb to 1m tall or sprawling.  Succulent stems.  Leafless.  Flowers tiny (less than 3mm across), sometimes succulent, in spikes at the tops of the stems, 0.5-4cm long, of 6-16 flower segments.  Fruiting body sometimes fleshy.  Was Halosarcia indica ssp. leiostachya.

Definite differentiation between most species of Tecticornia depends on details of the seeds, which needs a microscope to see.

Description and photo (as Arthrocnemum leiostachyum) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 237

eFlora of South Australia description (as Halosarcia indica):   http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Halosarcia_indica

Florabase photos:  http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/photo/33318