The Genus Atriplex
The genus Atriplex is distributed nearly worldwide from subtropical to temperate and to subarctic regions and includes 258 accepted species. The most species-rich regions for Atriplex are Australia, North America, South America and Eurasia. Many species are halophytes and are adapted to dry environments with salty soils. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments. The generic name originated in Latin and was applied by Pliny the Elder to the edible oraches. The name saltbush derives from the fact that the plants retain salt in their leaves; they are able to grow in areas affected by soil salination.
Saltbushes provide important cover for small birds, lizards, mammals, and are important nurse plants for other plants. Desert tortoises love saltbushes. Quail bush is a larval host for a few species of moths including the Saltbush Sootywing, (Hesperopsis alpheus) and the MacNeill's Sootywing, (Hesperopsis gracielae).
Saltbushes are larval hosts for the following butterflies:
Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium exilis)
Mojave Sootywing (Hesperopsis libya)
Saltbush Sootywing (Hesperopsis alpheus)
Saltbush is generally a pioneer plant that can colonize and stabilize eroded soils. Seeds provide an important food source for birds and other animals. Saltbushes have a remarkable ability to take salt, which will keep other species from thriving, and concentrate them on specialized salt glands on their leaves as a reflective protection from the sun.
Saltbush is very edible— the foliage is eaten or dried and ground into spices, seeds also made into meals and eaten. The Hopi use ashes from salt bush as baking soda. Navajo use it as an emetic, to treat ant bites, cough, and as a hair tonic. Havasupai used it to make soap for washing hair and to treat itches and rashes.
Atriplex acanthocarpa
Tubercled Saltbush
Evergreen (gray) shrub reaching about 3-4’ tall and wide. The plant is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowering parts are on separate plants. Male flowers are borne in spikes and female flowers are borne in axillary clusters or spikelike inflorescences which form tubercled fruits.
Plant in full sun, with moderate to low water when established. Hardy to the low teens °F.
Atriplex is the ancient Latin name for this plant, derived from a species in the Mediterranean with the ancient Greek name atraphaxes. The species epithet, acanthocarpa, derives from two Greek words, akanthos (spine, thorn) and karpos (fruit) and thus describes the plant as having spiny fruits.
Found in alkaline flats, gypseous clays, and sometimes somewhat saline soils where it is limited to the US states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and adjacent Mexico.
Atriplex canescens
Fourwing Saltbush
This species is extremely variable and also readily hybridizes. The size of the plant can vary a lot, from 1-10’ tall and wide. Most often in our region they are 4-5’ tall and a bit wider than tall. The plant is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowering parts are on separate plants. The female flowers will produce winged fruits.
Full sun, moderate to low water when established. Hardiness varies according to where seed is obtained from but one can at least expect temperatures as low as 15°F to be tolerated. Some plants can take much lower temperatures.
The Native American Hopi Indians preferred the ashes of four-wing saltbush instead of slaked lime (hydrate lime/slaked powder lime) for the nixtamalization of maize (the first step in the process of creating tortillas and pinole, by which the pericarp of Indian corn is removed before parching and grinding).
Atriplex is the ancient Latin name for this plant, derived from a species in the Mediterranean with the ancient Greek name atraphaxes; canescens means covered with short gray or white hairs.
Found on sandy or gravelly soils, from desert scrub to pinon-juniper communities from 300-6,500 ft in most of western North America from Alberta south to California and east to Texas (disjunct in Novia Scotia); south to southern Mexico.
Atriplex hymenelytra
Desert Holly
Growing 2-4’ tall and wide, this is a compactly branching plant from thickened, gnarly, woody bases. The roundish leaves are covered with a silvery-white scurf. Compactly branched, silvery white, covered with numerous hollylike leaves. Greenish flowers are in panicled spikes and are followed by flattened fruit. It is mostly evergreen (gray).
Grow in full sun, with very good drainage, and low water when established. Hardy to about 25°F.
Atriplex is the ancient Latin name for this plant, derived from a species in the Mediterranean with the ancient Greek name atraphaxes; hymenelytra makes reference to Hymen, the Greek god of marriage often used to note a pairing, and elytron, a sheath or covering, probably referring to the paired fruiting bracteoles surrounding the seed.
Found on dry, saline alluvial fans and hills, below 4,000 ft in western Arizona, southeastern Arizona, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah, south into northwestern Mexico.
Atriplex hymenelytra on iNaturalist
Photo by Manfred Werner.
Atriplex lentiformis
Quailbush
This is is a spreading, communal shrub reaching 3-10’ in height and generally more in width. It is highly branched and bears scaly or scurfy gray-green leaves. Plants vary in size, and are genetically variable. This species may be dioecious or monoecious, meaning that individuals bear either male or female flowers, though occasionally some plants have both. Plants can also change from monoecious to dioecious and from male to female and vice versa. Lens shaped fruits follow the female flowers.
In the past, subspecies of A. lentiformis have been recognized. The coastal form, with larger leaves was called subspecies breweri, while the more inland plants were labeled as subspecies lentiformis. A more recent interpretation is that the within species variability is due to environmental factors, rather than genetic differences and subspecies have been merged. We’re not sure how true this is, since we have both subspecies and the traits seem to be holding true.
Plant in full sun with good drainage. Provide moderate to low water when established. Plants can tolerate wet soils too. Plants are hardy to about 10°F.
Atriplex is the ancient Latin name for this plant, derived from a species in the Mediterranean with the ancient Greek name atraphaxes; the species epithet "lentiformis" means lens-shaped or shaped like a lens, respectively, referring to the fruits of the plant.
Found on saline to essentially non-saline drainages, stream and canal banks, roadsides, warm desert shrub, saltbush, and riparian communities in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and adjacent Mexico.
Atriplex obovata
Mounded Saltbush
This species is a smaller sub-shrub that grows to about a 1 ft. in height with silver colored and obovate shaped deciduous leaves. Like most saltbushes, this species is dioecious, with separate male and female plants.
Plant in full sun, with moderate to low water and good drainage. Cold hardiness not exactly known but grows at much higher elevations than most of our region.
Atriplex is the ancient Latin name for this plant, derived from a species in the Mediterranean with the ancient Greek name atraphaxes; the species epithet obovata consists of the Latin ovatus, meaning "egg-shaped" or "oval", and ob meaning "opposite" or "against". Together it means "inverted egg-shaped" and refers to the shape of a leaf.
In mostly sandy soils with salt desert shrub and lower pinyon-juniper communities in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and adjacent Mexico.
Atriplex polycarpa
Cattle Saltbush
Evergreen (gray) shrub reaching about 6x6’. Dioecious (separate male and female plants). Bladder-shaped fruits follow the female flowers.
Found on sandy to rocky soils of flats, washes and slopes below 3,500 ft in Arizona, California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, south into Baja California, Mexico.
Atriplex is the ancient Latin name for this plant, derived from a species in the Mediterranean with the ancient Greek name atraphaxes; polycarpa means having many seeds or fruits.
Found in desert valleys, basins, playas, bajadas, foothills and plains in Arizona, California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, south into Baja California, Mexico.
Atriplex polycarpa on iNaturalist
Photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek