{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Too many sections|date=May 2023}} {{Speciesbox |image = Halothamnus bottae, herbarium sheet.JPG |image_upright = 0.75 |taxon = Halothamnus bottae |authority = Jaub. & Spach |synonyms = *''Caroxylon bottae'' <small>(Jaub. & Spach) Moq.</small> *''Salsola bottae'' <small>(Jaub. & Spach) Boiss.</small> |synonyms_ref = <ref name = "Kothe1" /> }}
'''''Halothamnus bottae''''' is a species of the plant genus ''Halothamnus'', that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It occurs on the Arabian Peninsula.<ref name="Kothe1" />
== Morphology == ''Halothamnus bottae'' is a shrub 30–50 cm high, with blueish-green, thorny branches. The leaves are standing off from the branches, they are triangular, and only 0,7-3 (rarely 8) mm long. The flowers are 2,6-3,6 mm long. The winged fruit is 6–9 mm in diameter. The bottom of the fruit tube has large ovate shallow pits alternating with five prominent radial veins (from the navel to the tepals).<ref name="Kothe1" />
The subspecies ''H. bottae'' subsp. ''niger'' differs by green twigs soon becoming black, and by dark brown wings of fruit.<ref name="Kothe1" />
<gallery> file:Halothamnus bottae fruit 1.JPG|fruit (lateral view) file: Halothamnus bottae fruit 2.JPG|fruits (bottom) of subsp. ''niger'' (left) and subsp. ''bottae'' (right)</gallery>
== Taxonomy == thumb|Illustration of ''Halothamnus bottae'' from the original description by Jaubert & Spach, 1845 ''Halothamnus bottae'' has been first described in 1845 by Hippolyte François Jaubert and Édouard Spach (in ''Illustrationes plantarum orientalium'', volume 2, pl. 136). It is the type species of the genus ''Halothamnus''.<ref name="Kothe1" />
It consists of two subspecies:<ref name="Kothe1" /> *''Halothamnus bottae'' subsp. ''bottae'' *''Halothamnus bottae'' subsp. ''niger'' Kothe-Heinr.
== Distribution == ''Halothamnus bottae'' is endemic on the Arabian peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates). It grows in open shrubland and semidesert on dry stony ground, from 0–2000 m above sea level. The subspecies ''H. bottae'' subsp. ''niger'' occurs only on southern Arabian peninsula, in hot arid lowlands up to 100 m above sea level (similar plants from eastern Africa belong to ''Halothamnus somalensis'').<ref>Gabriele Kothe-Heinrich: ''The genus ''Halothamnus'' (Chenopodiaceae) in Southwest Asia.'' - Flora et Vegetatio Mundi 9, 1991, p.43-52.</ref> == Uses == In Oman, the dried parts of ''Halothamnus bottae'' are used as snuff.<ref>Herbarium specimen ''Miller 6494'' (Herbarium: E)</ref>
== Vernacular names == In Saudi Arabia, it is known as "hamḑ al-arnab" and "tiḩyan".<ref>J. P. Mandaville: ''Flora of eastern Saudi Arabia''. - London/New York: Kegan Paul International, 1990.</ref> In Oman, Jibbali and Dhofari, commons names are "hamdeh" and "kizzot".<ref>A. G. Miller & D. M. Morris: ''Plants of Dhofar.'' - Muscat: Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, 1988.</ref> In Yemen, it is called "asal"<ref>Herbarium specimen ''Wissmann 852'' (Herbarium: LE)</ref> and "tanēt".<ref>E. Blatter: ''Flora Arabica 8,1.'' - Calcutta: Superintendent government printing, 1919.</ref>
== References == <references> <ref name="Kothe1">Gabriele Kothe-Heinrich: [http://www.schweizerbart.de/pubs/isbn/es/bibliothec-3510480147-desc.html ''Revision der Gattung ''Halothamnus'' (Chenopodiaceae)''. Bibliotheca Botanica Bd. 143], Schweizerbart, Stuttgart 1993, {{ISBN|978-3-510-48014-2}}, p. 53-57</ref> </references> == External links == {{Commons category|Halothamnus bottae}} {{Wikispecies|Halothamnus bottae}} * {{NCBI taxid|996502|''Halothamnus bottae'' }} * [http://www.tropicos.org/Name/100355872 ''Halothamnus bottae'' at Tropicos] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023012/http://www.arkive.org/halothamnus/halothamnus-bottae/ Photos of ''Halothamnus bottae'' at arkive.org]
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bottae