Scientific Family
Chenopodiaceae
Other common names
redscale saltbush
redscale saltweed
tumbling orache
red orache
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Introduced
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
6 feet
Riparian
Yes
A weedy, herbaceous annual, with erect, coarse growth habit.
Only species of Atriplex that has mostly alternate leaves; leaves are toothed, oblong-lanceolate to ovate; male and female flowers usually together in axillary clusters or terminal spikes; fruit bracts are rhombic or ovate; stems may be mealy.
Habitat
Open, disturbed places, fields. Often in riparian areas.
Plant Community
Riparian
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
0
High elevation
8500
Flower Characteristics
Tiny male or female inflorescence, borne on the same plant.
Flower color
Greenish
Flower shape
Inconspicuous
Tubular
No
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Less than 2-1/2 inches long, 1/4 to 2 inches wide. Blunt to pointed tip, prominently three-veined, irregularly toothed, often lobed, scaly, more or less mealy. Having short petioles. Stem erect; branches ascending, smooth.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Brown
Brown or black, less than 1/8 inch wide.