Wedgescale Saltbush
Atriplex truncata

Family: Chenopodiaceae

What it is like

Wedgeleaf saltbush or saltweed is an annual herb native to California, growing to 0.9m in cold to warm temperate climates. The leaves and young plants are cooked and have a salty flavour. The seed is prepared and used in piñole, an ancient grain originating with the Aztecs, or ground into a meal and used as a thickener in making bread. Other Atriplex species are recommended for human consumption, and Atriplex truncata as a fodder crop. Leaves are available all year.

Atriplex truncata is a ANNUAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft) by 0.9 m (3ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 0.9

Where it is found

Saline saltgrass-greasewood-rabbitbrush communities, and other pans or palustrine or lacustrine habitats at elevations of 400 - 2700 metres.

Western N. America - southern British Columbia to California.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Leaves and young plants - cooked. A salty flavour. Seed - cooked. Used in piñole or ground into a meal and used as a thickener in making bread or mixed with flour in making bread.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 4

A good fodder crop.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Fodder: Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Fodder: Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

How it is grown

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though it should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil. Most species in this genus tolerate saline and very alkaline soils.

Propagating it: Seed - sow April/May in situ. Germination is usually rapid.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 7-10

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

No member of this genus contains any toxins, all have more or less edible leaves. However, if grown with artificial fertilizers, they may concentrate harmful amounts of nitrates in their leaves.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Obione truncata.