Suaeda edulis (chenopodiaceae), una nueva especie de lagos Salinos Del Centro de México

Abstract

A new species of Suaeda sect. Brezia, Suaeda edulis Flores Olv. & Noguez is described and illustrated. It occurs in saline lakes of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, Estado de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Tlaxcala and Puebla. Suaeda edulis was confused with S. nigra (= S. torreyana) and S. mexicana, but it is more similar to S. calceoliformis; it is an annual, erect to ascending herb; the flowers are zygomorphic, with one to three perianth segments that are enlarged apically in a horn-like appendices, in fruit with transverse nerved wings near the base. The flowers are clustered axillary in groups of 1-5, have 2-3 stamens, and are distributed throughout the plant, sometimes in terminal and axillar spikes; the seeds are 0.9-1.6 mm diameter and the chromosome number is 2n = 54. It is an edible herb harvested from wild populations, but it is also cultivated in the agricultural area of the Distrito Federal where it is known as "romerito".