''Atriplex stipitata'', commonly known as mallee saltbush, bitter saltbush and kidney saltbush, is a species of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

in 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 goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it ...

, found in all mainland states of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, it flowers all year round, however in other states generally flowers from spring through to autumn. ''A. stipitata'' is not considered a threatened species.

Description

''Atriplex stipitata'' is an erect, generally

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, shrub which grows to in height. Its leaves are elliptic and entire, with the apices either obtuse or rounded. The leaf blade is 7 to 25 mm long on a petiole which is 2 to 3 mm long. Male flowers form disjunct spikes, and the well-spaced clusters of female flowers form slender spikes.

Bracteoles In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

surround a superior

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

, on a slender stipe which is up to 1 cm long. ''A. stipitata'' generally flowers from spring through to autumn. The common name 'kidney saltbush' is derived from the kidney shape of the fruits. When in season, the distinctive fruits make it easily identified.Lectotypification of Atriplex stipitata Benth. (Chenopodiaceae) and recognition of a new subspecies Neville G. Walsh1 and Ian R. K. Sluiter2 1 Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia. In 2020, N.G.Walsh & Sluiter described a sub species of ''A. stipitata.'' This sub species, ''miscella'', presents as a

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...

plant. This sub species varies to the dioecious form. It is distinguished by having finer stems with narrow leaves. It is an erect and gracile shrub and is not as robust as the dioecious taxa with a shorter lifespan. ''Miscella'' grows from with sparser stems, making it a more narrow shrub than the sub species s''tipitata''s which is often wider than it is tall. Atriplex_stipitata_fruits

Taxonomy and naming

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

first described ''A. stipitata'' in 1870. The specific

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

, ''stipitata'', is a Latin adjective (past participle) meaning "stemmed", that is, "having a stipe or a stem", and refers to the stemmed fruit. There are 2 subspecies of ''A. stipitata'' in the Flora of Victoria as listed below * ''Atriplex stipitata'' subsp. ''miscella'' N.G.Walsh & Sluiter * ''Atriplex stipitata'' subsp. ''stipitata'' The epithet, ''miscella'', is a Latin word meaning “mixed”, believed to be referring to the mixed male and female flowers presented together.

Distribution and occurrence

''A. stipitata'' is widely spread across Australia, found in all mainland states. It is most abundant in semi arid and

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...

zones of inland parts of South Australia and Western New South Wales. Although ''A. stipitata'' has been observed in numerous different habitats, it predominately occurs in the mallee region of Victoria and South Australia and in open wooded areas. Western Australia – subsp. ''stipitata'' is commonly found in the south-western region. Subsp. ''miscella'' remains rare, with only a single collection. Northern Territory – subsp. ''miscella'' is the more common species found in Northern Territory, however both species are present in the southern regions. South Australia – subsp. ''stipitata'' can be found in all mainland regions of South Australia except the south-east. Subsp. ''miscella'' is currently limited to the

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...

and

Murray Mallee The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River (in South Australia, "River Murray"), to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south ...

regions. Queensland – subsp. ''miscella'' is the more common species in Queensland, however both species are relatively rare in the state, appearing only in the Warrego Pastoral District. New South Wales – both subsp's are similarly dispersed across western New South Wales. Victoria – subsp. ''stipitata'' occurs in the far north-west and near

Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh (Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is an urban centre and suburban locality in Victoria, Australia located approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne and west of Melton, Victoria, Melton at a near equidistance to th ...

. Subsp. ''miscella'' is limited to the far north-west. Seeds from the ''A. stipitata'' can be distributed worldwide. ''A. stipitata'' has been introduced to the California coastline in the United States of America to aid in the rehabilitation of

saline soils 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 ...

Habitat

''A. stipitata'' prefers saline soils of clay loam and coarse textured soils. It is often sighted in areas with solonized brown soils which are high in calcium and magnesium carbonate, and thrives in eroded red soils when there is limited competition from other species. ''A.stipitata'' subsp ''stipitata'' is more frequently observed in mixed

chenopod 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 it ...

shrublands Spring Park is a small area in London, England. It is within the London Borough of Bromley and the London Borough of Croydon, straddling the traditional Kent-Surrey border along The Beck. Spring Park is located north of Addington, west of West ...

and has a stronger affinity to saline soils whereas subsp ''miscella'' is more commonly observed in open woodlands. ''A. stipitata'' survives well in dry degraded soils and has been reportedly sighted in creek banks, stony flats, slopes and ridges, flat plains and outwash plains.

Uses

Traditional

''A. stipitata'', also known as bitter saltbush, is one of the lesser consumed saltbush due to its bitter flavour. However, saltbush was used for traditional medicinal purposes. The leaves of saltbush plants were ground down and mixed with water to form a

saline solution Saline (also known as saline solution) is a mixture of sodium chloride (salt) and water. It has a number of uses in medicine including cleaning wounds, removal and storage of contact lenses, and help with dry eyes. By injection into a vein it ...

used to clean and disinfect mild skin conditions and wounds.

Agricultural

''A. stipitata'' performs well on agricultural land, as it is not the most palatable of the saltbush species. This species only becomes favourable to sheep and livestock when other forage is scarce. ''A. stipitata'' is high in potassium, nitrogen and protein with high digestibility making it suitable for agriculture grazing, however the high sodium content in the plant make it only desirable when there is water readily available.Heshmatti, G. A., Facelli, J. M., & Conran, J. G. (2002). The piosphere revisited: plant species patterns close to waterpoints in small, fenced paddocks in chenopod shrublands of South Australia. Journal of Arid Environments, 51(4), 547-560. doi:10.1006/jare.2002.0969 Agriculture farmers have observed a link to saltbush grazing and an increase in milk production and more successful birth rates in sheep. This is attested not only to the nutrient value of the plant, but also to the increased water intake of the sheep when grazing.

References

External links

* *
''Atriplex stipitata'' occurrence data from Australasian Virtual HerbariumFlickr images: ''Atriplex stipitata''''Atriplex stipitata'' K000898568, collected in 1860
by the Victorian Exploring Expedition at Duroodoo {{Taxonbar, from=Q15586820 stipitata Flora of Australia Plants described in 1870 Taxa named by George Bentham Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of New South Wales Flora of South Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Dioecious plants