Atriplex coulteri
Encyclopedia
Atriplex coulteri is a species of saltbush
known by the common names Coulter's saltbush and Coulter's orache.
It is native to coastal southern California
and northern Baja California
, where it is quite rare. It grows in areas of saline and alkaline soils
, such as ocean bluffs.
This is a perennial herb producing leaning or erect reddish green stems and branches generally under 50 centimeters tall. The gray scaly leaves are no bigger than 2 centimeters long and are oval in shape. The plant has male and female inflorescence
s which are small hard clusters of flowers. The brown seeds are under 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 Coulter's saltbush and Coulter's orache.
It is native to coastal southern 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...
and northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it is quite rare. 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...
, such as ocean bluffs.
This is a perennial herb producing leaning or erect reddish green stems and branches generally under 50 centimeters tall. The gray scaly leaves are no bigger than 2 centimeters long and are oval in shape. 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 brown seeds are under 2 millimeters wide.