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Mike Boulay -19- April 11, 2011
<br />NRCS office supplied us with the unpublished soils map and corresponding Range
<br />Site Descriptions for this site. According to this information, the area mapped as
<br />the Greasewood Plant Community occurs completely within the limits of NRCS
<br />soils mapping unit BcA, the Skumpah soils mapping unit, which corresponds to the
<br />NRCS Salt Flats Ecological Site, or Salt Flats 262 Range Site. According to the
<br />Salt Flats 262 Range Site Description, Gray Molly (Kochia americana) is listed as a
<br />dominant plant species for this Range Site. Neither Alkali Seepweed (Suaeda
<br />moquini) nor any of its synonyms (as identified on the USDA Plants profile
<br />database found online at http://usda gov/Java/profile?symbol=SUMO) are found on
<br />the NRCS list of plant species associated with the Salt Flats Range Site.
<br />According to the USDA Plants profile for Suaeda moquini, synonymous names for
<br />this species include: Dondia fruticosa, Suaeda fruticosa, Suaeda intermedia,
<br />Suaeda nigra, Suaeda ramosissima, Suaeda torreyana, and, Suaeda torreyana
<br />var. ramosissima.
<br />Weber and Wittman (2001) in their Flora of Western Colorado, third edition,
<br />published by the University Press of Colorado, gives the following descriptions of
<br />Suaeda moquini and Kochia americana:
<br />SUAEDA 1Aa. Perennial, woody and branched at the base, stems over 3 dm tall,
<br />forming bushy growth, S. moquini Torrey [for C. Moquin-Tandon, 1804-1863,
<br />French chenopod specialist]. Seasonally wet clay flats along the lower river
<br />valleys (S. torreyana).
<br />KOCH/A Roth 1801 [for Wilhelm D. J. Koch, 1771-1849, German botanist] One
<br />species K. americana Watson. A native perennial, branching from the base, not
<br />over 3 dm tall, blooming in the spring, Common on clay flats, lower river valleys.
<br />Harrington, H.D. 1964. Manual of the Plants of Colorado. Published by the
<br />Shallow Press, Inc. Chicago, contains the following:
<br />Suaeda torreyana. Perennial plants somewhat woody at base, stems 30-80 cm.
<br />Tall, erect, branched, glabrous, sparsely leafy, leaves 1.5-3 cm. long, green, linear,
<br />strongly flattened, acute, or acuminate, those of the inflorescence much reduced,
<br />branches of the inflorescence slender and lax, perianth lobes obtuse, rounded on
<br />back, seed vertical or horizontal, 1-1.5mm. broad. Doubtfully distinct from S.
<br />fruticosa. Alkaline and saline soil. Wyoming to Oregon, south to New Mexico and
<br />California. Our few specimens from southern and western Colorado at 4500-7000
<br />feet.
<br />Suaeda fruticosa. Perennial plants, somewhat woody at base, glaucous, near or
<br />quite glabrous, stems, 30-80 cm. tall, much branched, rather densely leafy, leaves
<br />1-3 cm. long, narrowly linear, subterete, acute or obtuse, those of the inflorescence
<br />little reduced, branches of the inflorescence stout, perianth lobes obtuse or acute,
<br />rounded on back, seeds mostly horizontal, about 0.8 mm. wide. May not be
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