Atriplex patula
species of plant
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 grows to be between 50 and 80 centimetres (20 and 31 inches) tall. The branches extend outwards from the stem with rhomboid leaves and separated clusters of flowers. The species accumulates salt from the environment in its tissues. Unlike other Atriplex species, it lacks notable salt bladders to excrete salt onto the leaves.
Taxonomy
The species was a member of the family Chenopodiaceae, now part of Amaranthaceae, the amaranth family.
Distribution and habitat
The species has a wide range, including semi-arid deserts and coastal areas in Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa. It commonly grows along roads and waste sites.
Although it is commonly asserted that the species has been naturalized in North America only since the 18th century, seeds ascribed to this species occur on the west coast of North America in buried marsh deposits that predate European contact.
Uses
The young leaves and shoots are edible raw or cooked and suffice as a spinach substitute, but are bland on their own.
The public source identifies “Atriplex patula” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Atriplex, patula and species.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q158212. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Atriplex patula” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.