Atriplex cordulata
Encyclopedia
Atriplex cordulata is a species of saltbush
known by the common names heartscale and heart-leaf orache. It is endemic to the Central Valley and its San Joaquin Valley
of California
, where it grows in areas of saline and alkaline soils
.
The plant has male and female inflorescence
s which are small hard clusters of flowers. The reddish brown seeds are about 2 millimeters wide.
Atriplex
Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments...
known by the common names heartscale and heart-leaf orache. It is endemic to the Central Valley and its San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in areas of saline and alkaline soils
Alkali soils
Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH , a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate...
.
Description
Heart-leaf orache is an annual herb producing one or more erect stems to heights between 10 and 50 centimeters. The branches are scaly gray and have woolly fibers toward the ends. The gray scaly leaves are no bigger than 1.5 centimeters long and most have heart-shaped bases.The plant has male and female inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s which are small hard clusters of flowers. The reddish brown seeds are about 2 millimeters wide.