Atriplex gmelinii
C. A. Mey. ex Bong.
Gmelin's Saltbush
(c) Peter Zika, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Peter Zika
(c) Mizuki Shimoda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mizuki Shimoda
(c) M. Goff, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by M. Goff
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Leaves
Edible Parts: Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Young leaves - cooked. Seed - used in piñole or ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups and stews, or mixed with cereal flours to enhance their nutritional value when making bread, biscuits, cakes etc. The seeds are up to 3mm wide.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
Alaska, Asia, China, Japan, Korea,
How to Identify
A fast-growing annual reaching 0.5 m (1ft 8in) tall. Flowers from July to September with seeds ripening August to October. Wind-pollinated and monoecious. Thrives in light sandy or medium loamy, well-drained soils with poor to moderate fertility. Tolerates mildly acid to very alkaline and saline soils. Requires full sun and handles drought well, though adapts to both dry and moist conditions. Maritime-tolerant.
How to Grow
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though it should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual.Although the range of this species is said to include China, it does not appear in the Flora of China. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil. Most species in this genus tolerate saline and very alkaline soils.
Propagation: Seed - sow April/May in situ. Germination is usually rapid.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Other Uses
None known Special Uses
Wikipedia
Source ↗A fast-growing annual reaching 0.5 m (1ft 8in) tall. Flowers from July to September with seeds ripening August to October. Wind-pollinated and monoecious. Thrives in light sandy or medium loamy, well-drained soils with poor to moderate fertility. Tolerates mildly acid to very alkaline and saline soils. Requires full sun and handles drought well, though adapts to both dry and moist conditions. Maritime-tolerant.
Notes
There are about 100-300 Atriplex species. They have also been put in the family Chenopodiaceae.
Names & Synonyms
References (3)
- Bowser, M., 2017, Handout on Edible Plants of the Kenai Peninsula. USFWS Kenai National Wildlife Refuge p 8
- Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Petersbourg, Ser. 6, Sci. Math. 4:160. 1838
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
