Atriplex arenaria
Nutt. ? S. Watson
Crested saltbush
AmaranthaceaeLeaves
wikimedia · cc0
Wikimedia Commons - Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM
Wikimedia Commons - Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM
wikimedia · cc0
Wikimedia Commons - Maurice Charles Pierre Langeron
Wikimedia Commons - Maurice Charles Pierre Langeron
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves
Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in soups and stews. The seeds can be ground and eaten as flour.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
Australia, North America, USA,
Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, St Vincent
How to Identify
An annual herb. It grows 2-6 m high. The plant is bushy and stems can curve upwards or hang down. They are angular and slender. The leaves are oblong and arrow shaped. They are rounded at the base. They are light green in colour. The flowers are creamy-yellow and are in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit or seeds are small and grey green.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown by seed or cuttings.
Notes
There are about 100-300 Atriplex species. They have also been put in the family Chenopodiaceae.
References (3)
- Esperanca, M. J., 1988. Surviving in the wild. A glance at the wild plants and their uses. Vol. 2. p 198
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 182
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
