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Saltbush (Atriplex)
Also known as : Orache
Saltbushes are aptly named as these plants are "halophytes," meaning they can tolerate environments with very high levels of salt. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, they are most commonly found in two habitat types: along saltwater shorelines and in deserts with salty soils. Saltbush ability to grow where most other plants can't make them important food and shelter sources for animals (especially insects) in environments that would otherwise be mostly barren. 
Lifespan
Annual, Biennial
Key Facts About Saltbush
Feedback
Attributes of Saltbush
Leaf type
Deciduous
Scientific Classification of Saltbush
Phylum
Vascular plants
Class
Dicotyledons
Order
Pinks, cacti, and allies
Family
Amaranth
Genus
Saltbush
Distribution of Saltbush
Feedback
Distribution Map of Saltbush
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Saltbush
Feedback
Saltbush, a versatile plant genus, demands basic care like moderate sunlight, temperate conditions, and well-drained soil. They handle drought well yet benefit from regular watering. Common challenges include susceptibility to pests like aphids and diseases like leaf spot, which reduce their vigor. During spring and autumn, its growth is strong, while summer heat requires extra watering. In winter, little care is needed. Seasonal adjustments in care maintain the plant's optimal health. The overall care profile of saltbush is moderate.
Exploring the Saltbush Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Triangle Orache
Other, more descriptive names for Atriplex prostrata include fat-hen, mat saltbush, spade leaf, and creeping saltbush. Some of the names include "saltbush" because it thrives best in saline environments. That’s why you’ll find this weed growing along beaches and roadsides where there are salt deposits. Its leaves are shaped much like arrowheads.
Saltbush
Saltbush is a shrub native to the Mediterranean basin and some surrounding areas. Because it is extremely tolerant of drought, it is often grown as fodder, and it has also been used for food. Ancient Jewish tradition and Hebrew history claim this shrub was foraged as food by poor people returning from exile.
Australian saltbush
Australian saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata) is a plant species in the Amaranthaceae family that grows to be around 1.8 m wide. This species flowers all year and is often planted for ornamental ground cover. Australian saltbush is native to coastal regions of southern Australia.
Chamiso
Chamiso (Atriplex canescens) is an evergreen shrub that is native to the western USA. The plant has strong cultural significance to the Zuni Native Americans and is used in rituals to ensure good hunting. The peculiar four-winged fruits give the shrub its name. The chamiso naturally hybridizes with several other species of Atriplex.
Spear saltbush
Spear saltbush is a shrub that attracts Asian hornets to its flowers, as well as a variety of other pollinators. This plant collects salt from the environment and stores it in its tissues, lowering salt content in the soil, which proves to be beneficial in areas with high road salt contamination.
Garden orache
People used to use garden orache as a substitute for spinach and later as a decorative plant because its leaves can be green and purple. People have also used it to extract a dye close to indigo. It produces spikes of small flowers and reproduces by seed. This is a very resistant plant that can tolerate heat and drought, and can also grow on poor or saline soil.
Big saltbush
Big saltbush (Atriplex lentiformis) is edible and tastes salty—hence the name. Salt in its leaves makes it particularly good at extracting water from the ground. Rabbits love to dine on it. Therefore, if you're growing it in your garden, cage it until it's higher than rabbit height. It's indigenous to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Lesser shrubby orach
Lesser shrubby orach is only found in coastal areas amongst coastal dunes that flood. It is an evergreen low shrub that flowers during the summer and cannot tolerate inland gardens. The root of lesser shrubby orach has a symbiotic relationship with a fungus (mycorrhizae) wherein the fungus enables the root to gather additional moisture for the plant.
All Species of Saltbush
Triangle Orache
Triangle Orache
Other, more descriptive names for Atriplex prostrata include fat-hen, mat saltbush, spade leaf, and creeping saltbush. Some of the names include "saltbush" because it thrives best in saline environments. That’s why you’ll find this weed growing along beaches and roadsides where there are salt deposits. Its leaves are shaped much like arrowheads.
Saltbush
Saltbush
Saltbush is a shrub native to the Mediterranean basin and some surrounding areas. Because it is extremely tolerant of drought, it is often grown as fodder, and it has also been used for food. Ancient Jewish tradition and Hebrew history claim this shrub was foraged as food by poor people returning from exile.
Australian saltbush
Australian saltbush
Australian saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata) is a plant species in the Amaranthaceae family that grows to be around 1.8 m wide. This species flowers all year and is often planted for ornamental ground cover. Australian saltbush is native to coastal regions of southern Australia.
Chamiso
Chamiso
Chamiso (Atriplex canescens) is an evergreen shrub that is native to the western USA. The plant has strong cultural significance to the Zuni Native Americans and is used in rituals to ensure good hunting. The peculiar four-winged fruits give the shrub its name. The chamiso naturally hybridizes with several other species of Atriplex.
Spear saltbush
Spear saltbush
Spear saltbush is a shrub that attracts Asian hornets to its flowers, as well as a variety of other pollinators. This plant collects salt from the environment and stores it in its tissues, lowering salt content in the soil, which proves to be beneficial in areas with high road salt contamination.
Garden orache
Garden orache
People used to use garden orache as a substitute for spinach and later as a decorative plant because its leaves can be green and purple. People have also used it to extract a dye close to indigo. It produces spikes of small flowers and reproduces by seed. This is a very resistant plant that can tolerate heat and drought, and can also grow on poor or saline soil.
Big saltbush
Big saltbush
Big saltbush (Atriplex lentiformis) is edible and tastes salty—hence the name. Salt in its leaves makes it particularly good at extracting water from the ground. Rabbits love to dine on it. Therefore, if you're growing it in your garden, cage it until it's higher than rabbit height. It's indigenous to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Lesser shrubby orach
Lesser shrubby orach
Lesser shrubby orach is only found in coastal areas amongst coastal dunes that flood. It is an evergreen low shrub that flowers during the summer and cannot tolerate inland gardens. The root of lesser shrubby orach has a symbiotic relationship with a fungus (mycorrhizae) wherein the fungus enables the root to gather additional moisture for the plant.
Shadscale saltbush
Shadscale saltbush
Shadscale saltbush is a low-growing, spiny species of evergreen brush that grows in arid regions. Its distribution occurs throughout the western part of North America, from Oregon and California, east to North Dakota and south to Texas and Arizona. The plant provides cover and food for wildlife and livestock that roam through the arid environment.
Tumbling saltweed
Tumbling saltweed
Tumbling saltweed (Atriplex rosea) is an annual herb species with erect, hairless stems. Tumbling saltweed is native to Eurasia. This species is also known as tumbling saltbush, red orach, and redscale.
Frosted orache
Frosted orache
The frosted orache is an annual herbaceous plant with a whitish-silvery surface. Its downward (ascending) stem is mostly branched with a length of usually 20 to 30 cm (rarely up to 60 cm ) with smooth or slightly edged reddish-yellow branches. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem (with the exception of the lowest).
Desertholly saltbush
Desertholly saltbush
Desertholly saltbush (Atriplex hymenelytra) is indigenous to the southwestern United States. You’ll find it in the most arid of deserts because it’s the most drought-tolerant saltbush in all of North America. It even thrives in Death Valley, one of the driest and hottest places on the planet.
Silverscale saltbush
Silverscale saltbush
Silverscale saltbush (Atriplex argentea) is an annual herb species that is native to western North America. This species generally grows in salty soil, giving it its common name. The other part of the name comes from the gray scales that coat its stems and leaves.
Crested saltbush
Crested saltbush
Crested saltbush is native to India and Sri Lanka, where it grows wild in marshes and alongside the ocean. The small shrub produces flowers in the summer and fruit in the fall.
More Popular Genus
Feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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About
Key Facts
Distribution
How To Care
All Species
More Genus
Saltbush
Atriplex
Also known as: Orache
Saltbushes are aptly named as these plants are "halophytes," meaning they can tolerate environments with very high levels of salt. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, they are most commonly found in two habitat types: along saltwater shorelines and in deserts with salty soils. Saltbush ability to grow where most other plants can't make them important food and shelter sources for animals (especially insects) in environments that would otherwise be mostly barren.
Lifespan
Annual, Biennial
Key Facts About Saltbush
Feedback
Attributes of Saltbush
Leaf type
Deciduous
Scientific Classification of Saltbush
Phylum
Vascular plants Class
Dicotyledons Order
Pinks, cacti, and allies Family
Amaranth Genus
Saltbush Distribution of Saltbush
Feedback
Distribution Map of Saltbush
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Saltbush
Feedback
Saltbush, a versatile plant genus, demands basic care like moderate sunlight, temperate conditions, and well-drained soil. They handle drought well yet benefit from regular watering. Common challenges include susceptibility to pests like aphids and diseases like leaf spot, which reduce their vigor. During spring and autumn, its growth is strong, while summer heat requires extra watering. In winter, little care is needed. Seasonal adjustments in care maintain the plant's optimal health. The overall care profile of saltbush is moderate.
Exploring the Saltbush Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Triangle Orache
Other, more descriptive names for Atriplex prostrata include fat-hen, mat saltbush, spade leaf, and creeping saltbush. Some of the names include "saltbush" because it thrives best in saline environments. That’s why you’ll find this weed growing along beaches and roadsides where there are salt deposits. Its leaves are shaped much like arrowheads.
Saltbush
Saltbush is a shrub native to the Mediterranean basin and some surrounding areas. Because it is extremely tolerant of drought, it is often grown as fodder, and it has also been used for food. Ancient Jewish tradition and Hebrew history claim this shrub was foraged as food by poor people returning from exile.
Australian saltbush
Australian saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata) is a plant species in the Amaranthaceae family that grows to be around 1.8 m wide. This species flowers all year and is often planted for ornamental ground cover. Australian saltbush is native to coastal regions of southern Australia.
Chamiso
Chamiso (Atriplex canescens) is an evergreen shrub that is native to the western USA. The plant has strong cultural significance to the Zuni Native Americans and is used in rituals to ensure good hunting. The peculiar four-winged fruits give the shrub its name. The chamiso naturally hybridizes with several other species of Atriplex.
Show More Species
All Species of Saltbush
More Popular Genus
Feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
Nearly 5 years of research
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
