Christian Bowers
Allenrolfea occidentalis (also Kuntze) commonly known as the iodine bush or pickle-weed.
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Allenrolfea occidentalis is a shrub native to salt deserts of the Western United States and Northwest Mexico.  Iodine bush have been found to grow to 30 cm to 1 m in height. These plants have adapted to drought by having large shallow root systems that can be found to branch out 10 meters in length.   The roots acquire most of their water from surface water, which sinks into the mounds the plants grow on.   Pickle-weed plant stems are succulent but woody lower down on the plant.  The woody portions can extend along the ground.   Succulent stems reach upward and are articulated into small joints.  These jointed stems look similar to little pickles, thus the Pickle-weed plant.  Seeds are brown to reddish brown similar to iodine in color.  Seeds are dispersed by wind or water and can germinate in a high salt environment, up to 700mM NaCl.  Iodine bush is a perennial that uses C3 photosynthetic pathway.  The plants growing season is 7 months from May to November, flowers bloom in late summer and seeds are mature by early fall

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