Scientific Family
Chenopodiaceae
Synonyms
Obione berlandieri, Obione canescens , Pterochiton occidentale
Other common names
four-wing saltbrush
cenizo
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
No
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Similar species
Atriplex polycarpa
Mound-like shrub, woody throughout, stems stout, much branched and drought-deciduous. Has deep roots that help with erosion control.
Woody. Leaves narrow, oblong, not stemmed, grayish-green. Fruits 4-winged. Male and female flowers on separate plants; male flowers yellow less than 1/8 inch wide on branched flower stalks; female flowers on branched 15-inch long flower stalks.
Height
Up to 8 feet
Width
8 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Found on sandy or gravelly soils, from desert scrub to pinon-juniper communities.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
7100
Leaves
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf hairs
Top and bottom of leaves
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Semi-evergreen
Grayish-green and narrow to 2 inches long, sessile (attached directly to the branches). The species canescens means covered with short gray or white hairs.
Flowers
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Inconspicuous
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
October
Male and female flowers on separate plants; male flowers yellow (rarely brown), borne on elongated and branched flower stalks; female flowers lack sepals, borne on elongated and branched flower stalks.
Flower clusters
Elongated
Fruit
Fruit color
Light green to pale brown
Fruit type
Winged
Burlike seeds are encased in 4 papery pale green wing-like bracts to 1/2 inch wide. Bracts dry to a pale brown.