S. lipskyi Litv. in Sched. Herb. Fl. Ross. 3: 35, no. 736. 1901.

Annual, (5)10-50(70) x 5-50 cm, usually erect but rather variable in shape, primary stem dominant or surpassed by longer laterals; in living stage dark green, under stress often purplish, dried specimens brown; glabrous. Stem richly and repeatedly branched, at base up to 5(10) mm thick and becoming woody, when young pale green throughout, later yellowish, terete or delicately striate, thickest parts longitudinally fissured; branches ascending or spreading, terminating in bracteate, loose or dense, shorter or longer spike-like inflorescences, in apical parts often flexuose. Leaves usually very succulent, (5)7-15(20) x 1-1.5(2) mm, from almost semi-terete to terete, linear or oblong, the upper sometimes sub-clavate, obtuse, at base narrowed into a short petiole, straight or arcuate, erect or ascending, with C4 anatomy and internal aqueous tissue. Bracts up to 2.5 mm wide, mostly sub-clavate, distinctly arcuate, the upper sometimes shorter than floral or fruit clusters. Bracteoles 0.5-1 mm long, very variable in shape but always longer than wide, obtuse or acute, the margins lacerate to toothed. Glomerules (1)3-25-flowered, inserted on very short axillary branches that are often fused for a short distance with the petiole of the subtending bract. Perfect flowers weakly protandrous, drum-shaped to turbinate, 1.4-1.7 mm long, 1.8-2 mm wide; tepal lobes very succulent, fused for 1/3-2/5, incurved, green, with wide hyaline margins, cucullate. Stamens filaments band-shaped, at the dilated base 0.2 mm wide, finally 1-1.2 mm long, inserted near tepal bases; anthers 0.8-1 x 0.6-0.8 mm, 0.7 mm thick, divided for ¼-2/5. Ovary superior, narrowly ovoid, towards the apex with a 0.5 mm long beak-like projection; stigmas (2)3(4), 0.7-1 mm long, with long papillae, at base often fused, inserted in the sunken centre of the collar-like ovary apex. Fruiting perianth moderately enlarged, fig-shaped, up to 2(2.5) mm long, sometimes spongy. Seeds vertical, 0.95-1.2 x 0.75-1 mm, 0.65-0.75 mm thick, slightly flattened, beak short, testa black, shining, smooth to very delicately sculptured.

Fl. Per.:September-October.

Holotype: [Kazakhstan] “Am Jan-Darja”, 20.07.1841 A. Lehmann (P?), 2 iso (LE).

Grows in abundance on disturbed habitats on clayey, usually slightly to strongly saline soils that are subject to temporary water-logging; it is most common along ditches and road sides in irrigated areas. On irrigated fields it sometimes forms mass vegetation after harvest; from (800)900-c. 2000 m; Distribution: From Iran and S Pakistan northwards through the countries of the former Soviet Middle Asia to Kashgaria in westernmost China.

Irano-Turanian.

S. arcuata and S. aegyptiaca look very much alike, and even the seeds are almost indiscernable. Generally, both species are separated geographically, but in Baluchistan, in altitudes of 800-1200 m they overlap. The most reliable differential characters are the shape of flowers (campanulate versus ± drum-shaped), ovary position (superior versus semi-inferior), ovary shape (beak-like upper part 1mm versus 0,5 mm), colour of plants (dark green and turning brown on drying versus fresh green to yellowish green and turning pale green on drying).