Atriplex nummularia
Encyclopedia
Atriplex nummularia is a species of saltbush
known by the common names old man saltbush, bluegreen saltbush, and giant saltbush. It is native to Australia, occurring in Western Australia
, South Australia
, the Northern Territory
, Victoria
, New South Wales
, and Queensland
. It has been exported to other areas of the globe for various uses and was introduced
to parts of the American desert southwest and northern Mexico, possibly for use as a soil stabilizer. Domestic grazing animals will eat the sturdy shrub
, which is adapted to arid environments with saline soils, so it is used as an animal forage
in such habitats. It is widely used as a forage crop in Tunisia
. The plant is generally palatable to grazing animals, but the palatability can be limited by the concentration of salt in the plant tissues as the plant takes in water from saline soils.
A. nummularia is a grayish-white shrub growing to heights between 1.5 and 3 meters. The erect to spreading stems and twigs are scaly and striated. The thick leaves are oval to triangular, wavy and sometimes with dull teeth, and up to 6 or 7 centimeters long. The plant may be monoecious or dioecious
. The male flowers are held in clusters or long spikes up to 20 centimeters long. The female flowers are held in the leaf axils or in terminal inflorescence
s, or sometimes are interspersed among the male clusters.
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 old man saltbush, bluegreen saltbush, and giant saltbush. It is native to Australia, occurring in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It has been exported to other areas of the globe for various uses and was introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
to parts of the American desert southwest and northern Mexico, possibly for use as a soil stabilizer. Domestic grazing animals will eat the sturdy shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
, which is adapted to arid environments with saline soils, so it is used as an animal forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
in such habitats. It is widely used as a forage crop in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. The plant is generally palatable to grazing animals, but the palatability can be limited by the concentration of salt in the plant tissues as the plant takes in water from saline soils.
A. nummularia is a grayish-white shrub growing to heights between 1.5 and 3 meters. The erect to spreading stems and twigs are scaly and striated. The thick leaves are oval to triangular, wavy and sometimes with dull teeth, and up to 6 or 7 centimeters long. The plant may be monoecious or dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
. The male flowers are held in clusters or long spikes up to 20 centimeters long. The female flowers are held in the leaf axils or in terminal 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, or sometimes are interspersed among the male clusters.