Latin spina, referring to the prickly seeds.
Annual or biennial herbs. Sexes on separate plants, males in spikes, parts in 4s or 5s; females axillary with bracts that enlarge to encompass the fruit.
Seed.
3 species from E Mediterranean to W Asia.
Source: (1997). Chenopodiaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
