1. * Four-wing Saltbush – Atriplex canescens
(AT-ry-pleks kan-ESS-sens )
Family: Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)
Native to: Much of western N. America from the Dakotas to Baja; found in many plant communities
from coastal dunes to deserts, on dry, barren flats, slopes, washes usually below 7000 ft.
woody shrub
mature height: 3-6 ft.
mature width: 4-8 ft.
Semi-deciduous woody shrub with many dense branches.
Shape quite variable, but usually a
mounded shrub. Foliage a light blue-green, glistens with salt crystals. Numerous leaves on thin,
brittle branches. Can be pruned/shaped to a hedge or rounded shrub. Deep roots.
Growth characteristics:
Blooms in summer to early fall. Separate male & female plants. Flowers small,
green-yellow, on flowering stems – not particularly showy. Fruits are dry, winged capsules, each
containing a single seed. Seed capsules can be showy – and are certainly interesting!
Blooms/fruits:
Uses in the garden: Use extensively as a shrub and informal hedges in the Southwest, particularly in
water-wise gardens. Excellent for hillsides and erosion control. A superb habitat plant. Works
well in hot gardens. Tolerates maritime conditions & salty soils/water.
Takes up salt & metals.
Foliage and fruits can be eaten if no fertilizer used. Excellent choice for habitat gardens.
Sensible substitute for: Non-native shrubs.
Attracts: Excellent habitat plant with all of the benefits of the Family. Provides cover and nesting
sites for small animals & birds.
Seeds and foliage (deer, rabbits) provide nutritious food.
Requirements:
Element
Sun
Soil
Water
Fertilizer
Other
Requirement
Full sun to light shade.
Well-drained soils, including very sandy soils; alkali and salty soils fine.
Very drought tolerant (Zone 1-2); looks better as Zone 2 (occasional water)
None.
Pretty easy in well-drained soils – may die in wet winters in heavy clay. Cut
branches back by one-third in winter or shear into a hedge.
Management:
Propagation: from seed: use year-old dry seed
by cuttings: fairly easy
Plant/seed sources (see list for source numbers): 1, 3, 8, 10 13, 14, 16, 21, 24
1/29/10
* Native to CA but not to Western L.A. Co.
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