小蓬 xiao peng

Polycnemum erinaceum Pallas, Ill. Pl. 58. 1803; Halimocnemis juniperina C. A. Meyer.

Plants to 30 cm tall. Stem twisted, sinuate, gray-brown to black-brown, rough; older branches crowded, with numerous lateral, dwarf, dry branches; annual branches green, usually 5-10 mm. Leaves 1.5-5 mm, abaxially papillate; leaf axil cottony. Bracts and bractlets similar, proximal margin membranous. Perianth segments sublustrous, white-yellow, veinless, 8-12 mm in fruit. Anther appendage slightly whitish. Style light yellow, ca. 1.25 mm; stigmas slightly shorter than style. Utricle yellow-brown, ca. 2.25 mm. Embryo yellow-green. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.

Gobi desert, rocky slopes, arid clayey soils. Xinjiang [Mongolia, Russia (SW Siberia); C Asia].

This species provides good forage for livestock.