''Atriplex'' () is a plant
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...
Chenopodioideae of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Amaranthaceae
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 ...
''s.l.''.
The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many
desert and
seashore plants and
halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments.
The generic name originated in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
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
Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water. Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the ...
.
Description
Species of plants in genus ''Atriplex'' are
annual or
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...
herbs,
subshrubs, or shrubs. The plants are often covered with bladderlike hairs, that later collapse and form a silvery, scurfy or mealy surface, rarely with elongate
trichome
Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a p ...
s. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, rarely in opposite pairs, either
sessile or on a
petiole, and are sometimes deciduous. The leaf blade is variably shaped and may be entire, tooth or lobed.
The flowers are borne in leaf axils or on the ends of branches, in spikes or spike-like
panicles . The flowers are
unisexual, some species
monoecious, others
dioecious. Male flowers have 3-5
perianth
The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla ( petals) or tepals when ...
lobes and 3-5
stamens. Female flowers are usually lacking a perianth, but are enclosed by 2 leaf-like
bracteoles, have a short
style and 2
stigmas.
After flowering, the bracteoles sometimes enlarge, thicken or become appendaged, enclosing the fruit but without adhering to it.
The
chromosome
A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins ar ...
base number is x = 9, except for ''Atriplex lanfrancoi'', which is x=10.
A few ''Atriplex'' species are
C3-plants, but most species are
C4-plants, with a characteristic leaf anatomy, known as kranz anatomy.
Atriplex elegans.jpg, ''Atriplex elegans
''Atriplex elegans'' is a species of saltbush known by the common name wheelscale saltbush, Mecca orach,Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd ed., 2013, or wheelscale. It is native to the Southwestern United States, and northern Mexico, w ...
''
Atriplex hymenelytra bracts.jpg, ''Atriplex hymenelytra
''Atriplex hymenelytra'', the desert holly, is silvery-whitish-gray shrub in the family Amaranthaceae, native to deserts of the southwestern United States.Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert, Richard Spellenberg, 2nf ed, 2012, Mojave Desert Wildfl ...
''
Starr 050516-1394 Atriplex lentiformis.jpg, ''Atriplex lentiformis
''Atriplex lentiformis'' (quail bush, big saltbrush, big saltbush, quailbrush, lenscale, len-scale saltbush and white thistle) is a species of saltbush.
Distribution
''Atriplex lentiformis'' is native to the southwestern United States and northe ...
''
Atriplex nummularia.JPG, ''Atriplex nummularia
''Atriplex nummularia'' is a species of saltbush from the family ''Amaranthaceae'' and is a large woody shrub known commonly as oldman saltbush. ''A. nummularia'' is native to Australia and occurs in each of the mainland states, thriving in ari ...
''
Starr 040125-0020 Chenopodium murale.jpg, ''Atriplex suberecta
''Atriplex suberecta'' is a species of saltbush known by the common names sprawling saltbush, lagoon saltbush and (in Britain and Ireland) Australian orache. It is native to Australia.
Distribution
It can be found on other continents as an in ...
''
Atriplex patula (5129939806).jpg, '' Atriplex patula'', female flower with bracteoles and ovule
In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the '' integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the ...
Taxonomy
The genus ''Atriplex'' was first formally described in 1753 by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...
in ''
Species Plantarum''.
The genus name was used by
Pliny for orach, or mountain spinach (''
A. hortensis'').
Phylogeny
The genus evolved in Middle
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
, the
C4-photosynthesis pathway developed about 14.1–10.9
million years ago
The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds.
Usage
Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago ...
(mya), when the climate became increasingly dry. The genus diversified rapidly and spread over the continents. The C
4 ''Atriplex'' colonized North America probably from Eurasia during the Middle/Late Miocene, about 9.8–8.8 mya, and later spread to South America. Australia was colonized twice by two C
4 lineages, one from Eurasia or America about 9.8–7.8 mya, and one from Central Asia about 6.3–4.8 mya. The last lineage diversified rapidly, and became the ancestor of most Australian ''Atriplex'' species.
Systematics
The type species (
lectotype) is ''Atriplex hortensis''.
The name is derived from
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
ἀτράφαξυς (''atraphaxys''), "orach", itself a
Pre-Greek substrate loanword.
''Atriplex'' is an extremely species-rich genus and comprises about 250
-300
species, with new species still being discovered. An example includes ''Atriplex yeelirrie'', formally described in 2015.
Traditional
taxonomy of
Atripliceae
Atripliceae are a tribe of the subfamily Chenopodioideae belonging to the plant family Amaranthaceae. ''Atriplex'' is the largest genus of the tribe. Species of Atripiceae are ecologically important in steppe and semi-desert climates.
Distribut ...
based on morphological features has been controversial.
Molecular studies have found that many genera are not true
clades. One such study found that Atripliceae could be divided into two main clades, ''Archiatriplex'', with a few, scattered species, and the larger ''Atriplex'' clade, which is highly diverse and found around the world.
After
phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups ...
research, Kadereit et al. (2010) excluded ''
Halimione
''Halimione'' is a plant genus from the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It is a sister genus of ''Atriplex'' and is included in that genus by Plants of the World Online.
Description
The species in genus ''Halimione'' are ...
'' as a distinct sister genus. The remaining ''Atriplex'' species were grouped into several clades.
The following is a cladogram with estimated divergence times for the tribe Atripliceae. To infer the phylogeny, an ITS matrix composed of spacer ITS-1, the 5.8S subunit, and spacer ITS-2 were amplified and sequenced for each specimen. Not all species in the genus ''Atriplex'' are presented in the cladogram (based on page 7 of
). This work suggested that the Americas were colonised by C4 ''Atriplex'' from Eurasia or Australia. Furthermore, that in the Americas ''Atriplex'' first appeared in South America, where two lineages underwent ''in situ'' diversification and evolved sympatrically. North America was then colonised by ''Atriplex'' from South America, then one lineage later moved back to South America.
*''Atriplex lanfrancoi/cana''-Clade:
**''Atriplex lanfrancoi'' (Brullo & Pavone) G. Kadereit et Sukhor. (Syn.: ''Cremnophyton lanfrancoi'' Brullo & Pavone): endemic to
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
and
Gozo.
**''Atriplex cana'' C.A. Mey.: from Eastern European Russia to western China.
*''Atriplex'' section ''Atriplex'': annual C
3-plants.
**''Atriplex aucheri'' Moq.: in Eastern Europe and West Asia.
** ''
Atriplex hortensis
''Atriplex hortensis'', known as garden orache, red orache or simply orache (; also spelled orach), mountain spinach, French spinach, or arrach, is a species of plant in the amaranth family used as a leaf vegetable that was common before spina ...
'' L. –
Garden orache
''Atriplex hortensis'', known as garden orache, red orache or simply orache (; also spelled orach), mountain spinach, French spinach, or arrach, is a species of plant in the amaranth family used as a leaf vegetable that was common before spina ...
,
red orach,
mountain spinach
''Atriplex hortensis'', known as garden orache, red orache or simply orache (; also spelled orach), mountain spinach, French spinach, or arrach, is a species of plant in the amaranth family used as a leaf vegetable that was common before spina ...
,
French spinach: in Asia, cultivated or naturalized in Europe.
** ''Atriplex oblongifolia'' Waldst. & Kit. – Oblong-leaved orache: in Eurasia.
** ''Atriplex sagittata'' Borkh. (Syn.: ''Atriplex nitens'' Schkuhr): in Eurasia
*''Atriplex'' section ''Teutliopsis'' Dumort.: annual C
3-plants.
**''Atriplex australasica'' Moq.
** ''Atriplex calotheca'' (Rafn) Fr.: in Northern Europe.
** ''Atriplex davisii'' Aellen: from southern Europe to Egypt.
** ''
Atriplex glabriuscula
''Atriplex glabriuscula'', common names Scotland orache, smooth orache, Babington's orache or seaside orach () is an ''Atriplex
''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also s ...
'' Edmondston – Northeastern saltbush, Babington's orache, smooth orache,
Scotland orache
''Atriplex glabriuscula'', common names Scotland orache, smooth orache, Babington's orache or seaside orach () is an ''Atriplex'' species native to North America and northern Europe. It is an annual.
Conservation status in the United States
It ...
,
glabrous orache: In central and northern Europe.
** ''Atriplex gmelinii'' C.A. Mey. ex Bong. – Gmelin's saltbush: in Asia and North America.
** ''Atriplex intracontinentalis'' Sukhor.: from Central Europe to Asia.
** ''Atriplex laevis'' C.A. Mey.: in Asia, naturalized in eastern Europe.
** ''Atriplex latifolia'' Wahlenb.: in Eurasia.
** ''
Atriplex littoralis
''Atriplex littoralis'', the grassleaf orache or grass-leaved orache (; also spelled orach) is a species of shrub in the family Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to ...
'' L. –
Grass-leaved orache
''Atriplex littoralis'', the grassleaf orache or grass-leaved orache (; also spelled orach) is a species of shrub in the family Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to ...
: in Eurasia and North Africa.
** ''
Atriplex longipes
''Atriplex longipes'' is a species of plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goose ...
'' Drejer – Long-stalked orache: in northern Europe.
** ''Atriplex micrantha'' C.A. Mey.: in Asia, naturalized in Europe.
** ''Atriplex nudicaulis'' Boguslaw – Baltic saltbush: in Eurasia.
** ''
Atriplex patula'' L. –
Common orache
''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.
Description
''Atriplex patula'' g ...
,
spreading orache: in Eurasia and North Africa.
** ''Atriplex praecox'' Hülph. – Early orache: in northern Europe.
** ''Atriplex prostrata'' Moq. – Spear-leaved orache, thin-leaved orache, triangle orache, fat hen: in Eurasia and North Africa.
* C
4-''Atriplex''-Clade: containing the majority of species. The traditional classification into sections (sect. ''Obione'', sect. ''Pterochiton'', sect. ''Psammophila'', sect. ''Sclerocalymma'', sect. ''Stylosa'') did not reflect the
phylogenetical relationships and was rejected by Kadereit et al. (2010).
**''
Atriplex acanthocarpa
''Atriplex acanthocarpa'' is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names armed saltbush, tubercled saltbush, and ''huaha''. It is native to North America, where it is limited to the US states of Arizona, New Me ...
'' (Torr.) S. Watson: in North America.
** ''Atriplex acutibractea'' Anderson: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex altaica'' Sukhor.: in Asia.
** ''Atriplex angulata'' Benth.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex billardierei'' (Moq.) Hook. f.: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex canescens
''Atriplex canescens'' (or chamiso, chamiza, four-wing saltbush) is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae native to the western and midwestern United States.
Description
''Atriplex canescens'' has a highly variable form, and ...
'' (Pursh) Nutt. –
Chamiso,
chamiza,
four-winged saltbush, grey sagebrush: in North America.
** ''Atriplex centralasiatica'' Iljin: in Asia.
** ''
Atriplex cinerea'' Poir. –
Grey saltbush
''Atriplex cinerea'', commonly known as grey saltbush, coast saltbush, barilla or ''truganini'', is a plant species in the family Amaranthaceae. It occurs in sheltered coastal areas and around salt lakes in the Australian states of Western Aus ...
, truganini: in Australia
** ''Atriplex codonocarpa'' P.G. Wilson: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex conduplicata'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex confertifolia'' (Torr. & Frém.) S. Watson –
Shadscale
''Atriplex confertifolia'', the shadscale or spiny saltbush, is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae, which is native to the western United States and northern Mexico.
Description
The height of ''Atriplex confertifolia'' vari ...
(saltbush): in North America.
** ''Atriplex cordobensis'' Gand. & Stuck.: in South America.
** ''Atriplex deserticola'' Phil.: in South America.
** ''Atriplex dimorphostegia'' Kar. & Kir.: in North Africa.
** ''Atriplex eardleyae'' Aellen: in Australia
** ''Atriplex elachophylla'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex fissivalvis'' F. Muell.: in Australia
** ''Atriplex flabellum'' Bunge ex Boiss.: in Eurasia.
** ''
Atriplex gardneri'' (Moq.) D. Dietr. –
Gardner's saltbush
''Atriplex gardneri'' is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common name Gardner's saltbush. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Saskatchewan in Canada south to Nevada and New Mexico in th ...
, moundscale: in North America
** ''Atriplex glauca'' L.: in Portugal, Spain and in North Africa.
** ''
Atriplex halimus'' L. –
Mediterranean saltbush,
sea orache,
shrubby orache
''Atriplex halimus'' (known also by its common names: Mediterranean saltbush, sea orache, shrubby orache, silvery orache; ; also spelled orach) is a species of fodder shrub in the family Amaranthaceae.
Description
The plant has small gray leav ...
: in south Europe, North Africa and southwest Asia.
** ''Atriplex herzogii'' Standl.: in North America.
** ''
Atriplex holocarpa
''Atriplex holocarpa'' is a low-growing species of ''Atriplex'' (saltbush) found throughout arid regions of Australia.Moore, P (2005). A guide to plants of inland Australia. Reed New Holland, ''A. holocarpa'' is commonly known as pop saltbush (a ...
'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex hymenelytra
''Atriplex hymenelytra'', the desert holly, is silvery-whitish-gray shrub in the family Amaranthaceae, native to deserts of the southwestern United States.Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert, Richard Spellenberg, 2nf ed, 2012, Mojave Desert Wildfl ...
'' (Torr.) S. Watson –
Desert holly: in North America.
** ''Atriplex hymenotheca'' Moq.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex imbricata'' (Moq.) D. Dietr.: in South America.
** ''Atriplex inamoena'' Aellen: in Eurasia.
** ''Atriplex intermedia'' Anderson: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex isatidea'' Moq.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex laciniata'' L. – Frosted orache: In western and northern Europe.
** ''Atriplex lampa'' (Moq.) Gillies ex Small: in South America.
** ''Atriplex lehmanniana'' Bunge: in Eurasia.
** ''
Atriplex lentiformis
''Atriplex lentiformis'' (quail bush, big saltbrush, big saltbush, quailbrush, lenscale, len-scale saltbush and white thistle) is a species of saltbush.
Distribution
''Atriplex lentiformis'' is native to the southwestern United States and northe ...
'' (Torr.) S. Watson –
Quail bush: in North America.
** ''Atriplex leptocarpa'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex leucoclada'' Boiss.: in Eurasia.
** ''
Atriplex leucophylla'' (Moq.) D. Dietr.: in North America
** ''
Atriplex lindleyi
''Atriplex lindleyi'' is a species of saltbush known by the common name Lindley's saltbush. It is native to Australia, where it is widespread, especially in dry areas. It is known elsewhere as an introduced species, in California and the United ...
'' Moq.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex moneta'' Bunge ex Boiss.: in Eurasia.
** ''Atriplex muelleri'' Benth.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex nessorhina'' S.W.L. Jacobs: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex nummularia
''Atriplex nummularia'' is a species of saltbush from the family ''Amaranthaceae'' and is a large woody shrub known commonly as oldman saltbush. ''A. nummularia'' is native to Australia and occurs in each of the mainland states, thriving in ari ...
'' Lindl. – Old man saltbush, giant saltbush: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex obovata'' Moq.: in North America.
** ''Atriplex pamirica'' Iljin: in Eurasia.
** ''
Atriplex parishii'' S. Watson: in North America
** ''
Atriplex parryi'' S. Watson: in North America
** ''Atriplex parvifolia'' Kunth: in South America.
** ''Atriplex patagonica'' (Moq.) D. Dietr.: in South America.
** ''
Atriplex phyllostegia'' (Torr. ex S. Watson) S. Watson: in North America.
** ''
Atriplex polycarpa
''Atriplex polycarpa'', the allscale, (or all-scale) cattle spinach, allscale saltbush, or cattle saltbush, is a plant in the family Amaranthaceae.
It is native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northern Mexico
Mexico ( S ...
'' (Torr.) S. Watson –
Allscale (saltbush),
desert saltbush,
cattle saltbush
''Atriplex polycarpa'', the allscale, (or all-scale) cattle spinach, allscale saltbush, or cattle saltbush, is a plant in the family Amaranthaceae.
It is native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northern Mexico
Mexico (S ...
,
cattle spinach: in North America.
** ''
Atriplex powellii'' S. Watson – Powell's saltbush: in North America.
** ''Atriplex pseudocampanulata'' Aellen: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex quinii'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex recurva'' d'Urv.: in Eurasia, endemic to areas around the Aegean.
** ''Atriplex rhagodioides'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex rosea
''Atriplex rosea'' is a species of saltbush known by the common names tumbling saltbush, red orach, redscale and tumbling orach (; also spelled orache). It is native to Eurasia but it is widespread elsewhere as an introduced species.
This is a ...
'' L. – Tumbling orache: in Eurasia and North Africa.
** ''Atriplex rusbyi'' Britton ex Rusby: in South America.
** ''Atriplex schugnanica'' Iljin: in Asia.
** ''
Atriplex semibaccata
Atriplex semibaccata, commonly known as Australian saltbush, berry saltbush, or creeping saltbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a perennial herb native to Western Australia, Sou ...
'' R. Br. –
Australian saltbush
Atriplex semibaccata, commonly known as Australian saltbush, berry saltbush, or creeping saltbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a perennial herb native to Western Australia, South ...
,
berry saltbush,
creeping saltbush: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex semilunaris'' Aellen: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex serenana
''Atriplex serenana'' is a species of saltbush known by the common names bractscale and stinking orach. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in saline and alkaline soils such as those on alkali flats and beach bluffs. ...
'' A. Nelson ex Abrams: in North America
** ''Atriplex sibirica'' L.; in Asia, naturalized in Europe.
** ''Atriplex sphaeromorpha'' Iljin: in Russia, Ukraine and Caucasus.
** ''Atriplex spinibractea'' Anderson: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex spongiosa'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex stipitata
''Atriplex stipitata'', commonly known as mallee saltbush, bitter saltbush and kidney saltbush, is a species of shrub in the family Amaranthaceae, found in all mainland states of Australia.
In South Australia, it flowers all year round, however ...
'' Benth.: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex sturtii'' S.W.L. Jacobs: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex suberecta
''Atriplex suberecta'' is a species of saltbush known by the common names sprawling saltbush, lagoon saltbush and (in Britain and Ireland) Australian orache. It is native to Australia.
Distribution
It can be found on other continents as an in ...
'' I. Verd. – Sprawling saltbush, lagoon saltbush: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex tatarica'' Aellen: in Europe, North Africa and Asia.
** ''Atriplex turbinata'' (Anderson) Aellen: in Australia.
** ''Atriplex undulata'' (Moq.) D. Dietr.: in South America.
** ''Atriplex velutinella'' F. Muell.: in Australia.
** ''
Atriplex vesicaria
''Atriplex vesicaria'', commonly known as bladder saltbush, is a species of flowering plant of the family ''Amaranthaceae'' and is endemic to arid and semi-arid inland regions of Australia. It is an upright or sprawling shrub with scaly leaves a ...
'' Heward ex Benth. –
Bladder saltbush: in Australia.
Distribution and habitat
The genus ''Atriplex'' is distributed nearly worldwide from
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north a ...
to
temperate and to
subarctic
The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Genera ...
regions. Most species-rich are
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
,
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
and
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...
. Many species are
halophytes and are adapted to dry environments with salty soils.
Ecology
''Atriplex'' species are used as food plants by the
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
e of some
Lepidoptera species; see the
list of Lepidoptera which feed on ''Atriplex''. For
spider
Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
s such as ''
Phidippus californicus
''Phidippus californicus'' is a species of jumping spider. It is found in the southwestern United States ( California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Utah) and northern Mexico ( Baja California peninsula, and Sonora).
Habitat
''Phidippus c ...
'' and other
arthropod
Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...
s, saltbush plants offer opportunities to hide and hunt in
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
that is otherwise often quite barren.
It has been proposed that genus ''Atriplex'' was a main food source in the diet of the extinct giant kangaroo ''
Procoptodon goliah
''Procoptodon'' is an extinct genus of giant short-faced ( sthenurine) kangaroos that lived in Australia during the Pleistocene Epoch. ''P. goliah'', the largest known kangaroo species that ever existed, stood at about . They weighed about . Oth ...
''. Stable isotopic data suggested that their diet consisted of plants that used the
C4 photosynthetic pathway, and due to their semi-arid distribution, chenopod saltbushes were likely responsible.
Uses
The favored species for human consumption is now usually
garden orache
''Atriplex hortensis'', known as garden orache, red orache or simply orache (; also spelled orach), mountain spinach, French spinach, or arrach, is a species of plant in the amaranth family used as a leaf vegetable that was common before spina ...
(''A. hortensis''), but many species are edible and the use of ''Atriplex'' as food is known since at least the late
Epipaleolithic (Mesolithic).
Common orache (''
A. patula'') is attested as an
archaeophyte
An archaeophyte is a plant species which is non-native to a geographical region, but which was an introduced species in "ancient" times, rather than being a modern introduction. Those arriving after are called neophytes.
The cut-off date is u ...
in northern Europe, and the
Ertebølle culture is presumed to have used it as a food. Its seed has been found among apparent evidence of cereal preparation and cooking at Late Iron Age villages in Britain. In the
biblical Book of Job, ''mallûaḥ'' (מַלּ֣וּחַ, probably
Mediterranean saltbush, ''A. halimus'', the major culinary saltbush in the region) is mentioned as food eaten by social outcasts ().
Grey saltbush
''Atriplex cinerea'', commonly known as grey saltbush, coast saltbush, barilla or ''truganini'', is a plant species in the family Amaranthaceae. It occurs in sheltered coastal areas and around salt lakes in the Australian states of Western Aus ...
(''
A. cinerea'') has been used as
bushfood in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
since prehistoric times.
Chamiso (''A. canescens'') and
shadscale
''Atriplex confertifolia'', the shadscale or spiny saltbush, is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae, which is native to the western United States and northern Mexico.
Description
The height of ''Atriplex confertifolia'' vari ...
(''A. confertifolia'') were eaten by
Native Americans, and spearscale (''A. hastata'') was a food in rural
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...
.
Studies on ''Atriplex'' species demonstrated their potential use in agriculture. Meat from sheep which have grazed on saltbush has surprisingly high levels of
vitamin E, is leaner and more hydrated than regular
lamb and has consumer appeal equal to grain-fed lamb.
The vitamin E levels could have animal health benefits while extending the shelf-life and maintaining the fresh red colour of saltbush lamb. This effect has been demonstrated for old man saltbush (''
A. nummularia'') and river saltbush (''
A. amnicola''). For reasons unknown, sheep seem to prefer the more fibrous, less nutritious river saltbush.
A study on ''A. nummularia'' discovered the species have a nitrogen content of 2.5–3.5%, and could potentially be used as a protein supplement for grazing if palatable. A subsequent study allowed sheep and goats to voluntarily feed on ''
Atriplex halimus'' and aimed to determine if the saltbush was palatable, and if so, did it provide enough nutrients to supplement the diet of these animals. In this study they determined when goats and sheep are given as much ''
A. halimus'' as they like, they do obtain enough nutrients to supplement their dietunless the animal requirements are higher during pregnancy and milk production.
Saltbushes are also used as an
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
in
landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following:
# Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...
and can be used to prevent
soil erosion in coastal areas.
Old man saltbush (''
Atriplex nummularia
''Atriplex nummularia'' is a species of saltbush from the family ''Amaranthaceae'' and is a large woody shrub known commonly as oldman saltbush. ''A. nummularia'' is native to Australia and occurs in each of the mainland states, thriving in ari ...
'') has also been successfully used to rehabilitate old mining sites around
Lightning Ridge (Australia).
See also
*
Barbara Hulme
Barbara Hulme (née Poulter; 1930–2020) was a Botany, botanist, credited with being the first to produce experimental hybrids in the genus ''Atriplex'' or oraches, a genus of wild flower common on seaside strandlines. The Canadian botanist spe ...
, producer of Atriplex hybrids
References
[Stanley L. Welsh]
''Atriplex'' - online
In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.): ''Flora of North America North of Mexico'', Volume 4: ''Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1.'', Oxford University Press, New York. 2003, .
[Gelin Zhu, Sergei L. Mosyakin & Steven E. Clemants: ''Chenopodiaceae'']
''Atriplex'' - online
In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (ed.): ''Flora of China'', Volume 5: ''Ulmaceae through Basellaceae.'', Science Press und Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing und St. Louis, 2003, .
[Gudrun Kadereit, Evgeny V. Mavrodiev, Elizabeth H. Zacharias & Alexander P. Sukhorukov: Molecular phylogeny of Atripliceae (Chenopodioideae, Chenopodiaceae): Implications for systematics, biogeography, flower and fruit evolution, and the origin of C4 Photosynthesis. - ''American Journal of Botany'' 97(10): 1664-1687, 2010.]
[ (2004): Variation within and between two saltbush species in plant composition and subsequent selection by sheep. '' Aust. J. Agr. Res.'' 55(9): 999–1007. (HTML abstract)]
[ (2004): Saltbush lifts sheep meat vitamin content. ''Farming Ahead'' 153(October): 63]
PDF fulltext
[''Atriplex''](_blank)
at Tropicos, accessed 2013-07-11
* (1999): Orach. ''In: Oxford Companion to Food'': 556.
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157801
Halophytes
Drought-tolerant plants
Garden plants
Amaranthaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Pseudocereals
Chenopodioideae