Mealy, covered in white powder; leaves smooth with 1 or 2 teeth near base, oval to traingular; with somewhat ball-shaped flower clusters in spikes; outer wall of fruit seeds, slightly whitened. Plant can easily be identified by the smell of dead fish.
Plant covered by meal-like powder; stems erect or ascending, branched from base; leaves aromatic; blade broadly rounded-triangular to kite-like or oval; dense compact cluster of flowers in terminal, lateral spikes; white achene seed, coarsely honeycombed.
Habitat
Dry soils. Woods and shrublands of various types, erosion breaks in grasslands, volcanic rocks, pinyon and juniper, sagebrush, disturbed ground, old mine areas, roadsides.
Flower Characteristics
Flowers are in large, ball-like clusters that are arranged in terminal and lateral spikes, 5-1/2 to 9 inches long by 1 inch wide; dense mealy sepals and petals cover the seed at maturity.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Erect simple to branched stems are covered with mealy particles; alternate, stalked leaves round to triangular in shape, mealy, grayish-green, at least on the underside; blades smooth, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Achenes fruit, oval, outer wall (pericarp) clinging to surface, whitish, honeycombed.
Seeds somewhat rounded, 1/8 inch diameter.