Enchylaena is a genus of small perennial shrubs endemic to Australia, commonly known as barrier saltbushes. Per GBIF's Backbone Taxonomy, the genus belongs to family Amaranthaceae within the order Caryophyllales (older sources, including the Flora of Australia treatment cited on Wikipedia, place it in the now-largely-subsumed family Chenopodiaceae).
The genus was formally published by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown in 1810, in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae, together with its type species, Enchylaena tomentosa. Numerous additional species have been described under the genus name over the following two centuries, but nearly all have since been transferred to other genera or reduced to synonymy with E. tomentosa. The sole exception is Enchylaena lanata, described by Australian botanist Paul G. Wilson in 1984, which remains the only other currently recognized species — making Enchylaena a genus of just two accepted species.
The two species differ in range: Enchylaena tomentosa is widely distributed across the Australian continent, while Enchylaena lanata is endemic to Western Australia. Both are shrubby chenopods characteristic of Australia's arid and semi-arid saltbush communities.
Distribution
Enchylaena tomentosa is widely distributed throughout Australia, while Enchylaena lanata is endemic to Western Australia.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was published by Robert Brown in 1810 alongside its type species, Enchylaena tomentosa (Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae, p. 407, per GBIF). Many later-described species have since been synonymized with E. tomentosa; Enchylaena lanata, described by Paul G. Wilson in 1984, is the only other species still recognized. GBIF's Backbone Taxonomy places the genus in family Amaranthaceae, order Caryophyllales, whereas older regional floras (Flora of Australia, FloraBase) treat it under the traditional family Chenopodiaceae.
