Flowers of the Seepweed are small, greenish, and without petals. Since the pollen is carried by the wind, color to attract insects to the flowers is not necessary. Because of its tolerance for somewhat salty or alkaline soils, Seepweed thrives along the margins of dry lakes and on salt flats where moisture is near the surface. On the desert of southern California it is often associated with Mesquite and Quailbrush, the sooty-green to brown plants standing out in sharp contrast.
Because it is so common in moist locations throughout the Southwest, and sufficiently unusual in appearance to arouse curiosity as to its identity, Seepweed is included in this publication regardless of the fact that its flowers are small and inconspicuous.
Benson, Lyman; and Darrow, Robert: _A Manual of Southwestern Trees and Shrubs_; University of Arizona, 1944.
Benson, Lyman: _The Cacti of Arizona_; University of Arizona, Second Edition, 1950.
Black, Homer: _Common and Larger Plants Near the Cavern Entrance_; Carlsbad Caverns National Park; mss. 1944.
Cooper, Norman C.: _Check List of Plants of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument_; mss. 1942.
Jaeger, Edmund C.: _Desert Wildflowers_; Stanford University Press, Revised Edition, 1944.
Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature: _Standardized Plant Names_; Second Edition, 1942.
Kearney, Thomas H.; and Peebles, Robert H.: _Flowering Plants and Ferns of Arizona_; Government Printing Office, 1942.
McDougall, W. B.: Vegetation of White Sands National Monument; mss. 1939.
McDougall, W. B.: Check List of the Plants of Death Valley National Monument; mimeo. 1945.
McDougall, W. B.; and Sperry, Omer E.: Plants of Big Bend National Park; Government Printing Office, 1951.
Nichol, A. A.: _The Natural Vegetation of Arizona_; University of Arizona Technical Bulletin No. 68, 1937.
Shantz, H. L.; and Piemeisel, R. L.: _Indicator Significance of the Natural Vegetation of the Southwestern Desert Region_; Government Printing Office, 1925.
Sperry, Omer E.; and Warnock, Barton H.: _Plants of Brewster County, Texas_; Sul Ross State Teachers College Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 1, Alpine, Texas, 1941.
Taylor, Walter P.; McDougall, Walter B.; and Davis, William B.: _Preliminary Report of an Ecological Survey of Big Bend National Park_; March-June, 1944; mimeo.