Woody shrub, much branched, with sharp spines. Male and female flowers on separate plants. Its male flowers are shown above, grow in small spikes on end of stems, resembling small pine cones. Flower spike measured to 15 mm long. Leaves are pale green, linear, opposite and in whorls, leaf measured to 2 cm long and 2 mm wide. Plants glabrous.

Grows in badlands, and dry, saline flats in southern Saskatchewan. Listed as fairly common in the Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Saskatchewan.

Height is listed in Budd's Flora to 2 metres, we measured plants to 90 cm tall.

The above photos were taken June 29th, eroded slope, West block of the Grasslands National Park, about 400 km south west of our home in Regina, SK.

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