Atriplex patula

Common Orache, Spreading orach

AmaranthaceaeLeavesSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable

Edible Parts: Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Edible uses & rating: Leaves historically boiled (Hopi), seeds used in scarcity years. Edibility rating: 1/5. Taste & processing notes: Leaves intensely acrid; require multiple water changes; foam persists; flavor remains poor. Seeds are salty/woody/acrid. Season/harvest: Desert; summer bloom, autumn seed [2-3]. Young leaves - raw or cooked as a spinach substitute. A fairly bland flavour, a few leaves of stronger-flavoured plants can be added to enhance the taste. Seed - ground and mixed with cornmeal or used to thicken soups etc. Small and very fiddly to harvest and use.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. In Argentina it grows between sea level and 500 m above sea level. Tasmania Herbarium.

Africa, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Britain, Canada, Central Asia, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Europe, Falklands, France, Germany, Hungary, Mediterranean, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, North Africa, North America, Russia, Slovenia, South America, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Uruguay,

Countries: Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Burundi, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Botswana, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Switzerland, Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Djibouti, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Estonia, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, United Kingdom, Grenada, French Guiana, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Liberia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Mali, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Paraguay, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sierra Leone, San Marino, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, El Salvador, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Venezuela, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

An annual herb. It grows 30 cm to 1.5 m tall. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are sword shaped and 3-14 cm long. The lower leaves can be more broad with a wedge shaped base that tapers into a short leaf stalk. The upper leaves do not have a leaf stalk. The seeds are 1.2-1.5 mm across.

How to Grow

Full sun; hyper-arid alkaline basins. Succeeds in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil. Prefers a rich soil. Tolerates saline and very alkaline soils. Habitat & range: Sonoran/Mojave deserts.

Propagation: Seed - sow April/May in situ. Germination is usually rapid. Cuttings possible.

Medicinal Uses

Laxative The seeds, harvested when just ripe, are said to be as efficacious as ipecacuanha as a laxative.

Other Uses

Excellent nurse/hedge in severe deserts; minimal water. Wildlife/ecology: Browse (limited); cover; salinity tolerance for restoration. Special Uses

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Atriplex patula (spear saltbush; common orache; spear orach; spreading orach; ) is a ruderal, circumboreal species of annual herbaceous plant in the genus Atriplex naturalized in many temperate regions.

Other Information

The leaves are rarely used.

Notes

There are about 100-300 Atriplex species. They have also been put in the family Chenopodiaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Halberd-leaved saltbush, Lebeda rozkladita, Loboda, Spearscale, Tibidas, Vad laboda

Several

References (19)

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