''Atriplex patula'' (spear saltbush; common orache; spear orach; spreading orach; ) is a

ruderal A ruderal species is a plant species that is first to colonize disturbed lands. The disturbance may be natural for example, wildfires or avalanchesor the consequences of human activities, such as construction ( of roads, of buildings, mining, et ...

, circumboreal species of

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent wood, woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennial plant, perennials, and nearly all Annual plant, annuals and Biennial plant, biennials. Definition ...

in the genus '' Atriplex'' naturalized in many temperate regions.

Description

''Atriplex patula'' grows to be between tall. The branches extend outwards from the stem with rhomboid leaves and separated clusters of flowers. The species accumulates salt from the environment in its tissues. Unlike other '' Atriplex'' species, it lacks notable salt bladders to excrete salt onto the leaves.

Taxonomy

The species was a member of the family

Chenopodiaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making i ...

, now part of Amaranthaceae, the amaranth family.

Distribution and habitat

The species has a wide range, including semi-arid deserts and coastal areas in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, North America,

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It commonly grows along roads and waste sites. Although it is commonly asserted that the species has been naturalized in North America only since the 18th century, seeds ascribed to this species occur on the west coast of North America in buried marsh deposits that predate European contact.

Uses

The young leaves and shoots are edible raw or cooked and suffice as a spinach substitute. The species has been proven to be effective in lowering salt content in soils when planted in areas with high road salt contamination.

References

patula Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Salt marsh plants Flora of New Jersey Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Amaranthaceae-stub