Plant Guide

Atriplex lentiformis (Torr.) S. Wats.
big saltbush
ATLE

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Subshrub, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	FAC, FACW

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	Low
C:N Ratio	High
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	Yes
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Moderate
Foliage Texture	Coarse
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Multiple Stem
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	10
Height, Mature (feet)	10
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	Yes
Shape and Orientation	Semi-Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	High
CaCO3 Tolerance	High
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	195
Hedge Tolerance	High
Moisture Use	Low
pH, Minimum	7
pH, Maximum	10
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	680
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	1800
Precipitation, Minimum	4
Precipitation, Maximum	20
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	20
Salinity Tolerance	High
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	7

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Early Summer
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	High
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	800000
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Slow

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Medium
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Atriplex lentiformis (Torr.) S. Wats.
big saltbush
ATLE
Cultivar: Casa

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Subshrub, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	FAC, FACW

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	High
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Gray-Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Moderate
Foliage Texture	Coarse
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Single Stem
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	10
Height, Mature (feet)	10
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Long
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	Yes
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	None
CaCO3 Tolerance	High
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	150
Hedge Tolerance	High
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	7
pH, Maximum	10
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	300
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	1200
Precipitation, Minimum	6
Precipitation, Maximum	10
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	20
Salinity Tolerance	High
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-8

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Early Summer
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	High
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	801310
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Low
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Medium
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Medium
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Kingdom Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons

Subclass Caryophyllidae

Order Caryophyllales

Family Chenopodiaceae -- Goosefoot family

Genus Atriplex L. -- saltbush P

Species Atriplex lentiformis (Torr.) S. Wats. -- big saltbush P

Alternative Names

big saltbush

Uses

Ethnobotanic: The Native American Pima groups eat quailbush seeds. They grounded the seeds into a meal and used them as a thickener in soups or added them to flour for making bread. Most of this shrub is edible, young shoots are suitable for greens. Several tribes used this shrub for its salty taste. The crushed leaves and roots were used as soap for washing clothes (Moerman 1998).

Native Americans tribes grounded the roots and flowers and applied it to ant bites. The leaves were chewed to treat head colds. The crushed flowers and stems can be steamed and inhaled to treat nasal congestion (Moerman 1998).

Wildlife: Rabbits, lizards, rattlesnakes, coyotes, quails, and other birds use the seeds and foliage for food and habitat. The foliage and twigs provide shelter for many small mammals and livestock.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

General: Quailbush is a large, fast growing shrub. It occurs in river floodplains, on roadsides, and in the borders of drainage. The branches are widespread, slender, and flexible. The leaves are alternate, triangular or ovate to oblong, and are 1 ½ to 2 inches long. The plants are male or female and have the ability to alter their sex due to environmental conditions.

Distribution: It ranges from the Upper San Joaquin and Salinas Valley southward to lower California, in Lower and Upper Sonoran Life Zones (McMinn 1939). It extends eastward into Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. For current distribution, please consult the Plant profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Adaptation

Quailbush grows best with full sunlight in any well-drained but not too fertile soil. It tolerates very alkaline soils and can succeed in hot and dry climates. This species is not often found in colder areas of the country but it can tolerate temperatures between -5 and -10º C.

Establishment

Propagation from Seed: The seed is best sown in April or May and placed in containers or seed trays containing a compost of peat and sand to which a slow-release fertilizer has been added. Firm the medium gently, sow the seed thinly and evenly on top, and cover with its own depth of medium (Heuser 1997). Place the pots in a cold frame at 13º C and the seed should germinate between one to three weeks. The seedlings should be placed into individual pots and grown in a greenhouse for the first winter.

Management

Atriplex lentiformis will defoliate under extreme drought conditions. They need to be under some form of water stress, salt stress, or drought stress. The salt they accumulate in their leaves allows them to extract water from the soil. They tolerate and remove the excess salts by bladders in their leaves that act as salt sinks, keeping the salt from the plant cells.

Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

‘Casa’ - Released 1979 by the Lockeford Plant Materials Center, CA, this cultivar has exhibited excellent performance as a conservation plant on various critical areas, for upland game cover and for environmental enhancement on deep, medium, or fine-textured soils that are well to poorly drained. It can be grown on slightly acidic to strongly alkaline soils (pH 6-8.5) and survive on an annual precipitation of 20-25 cm (8-10 inches) when irrigated for initial establishment. This species occurs from the upper San Joaquin and Salinas valleys south to lower California. It extends eastward into Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government”. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

References

Collins, B.J. 2001. Wildflowers of Southern California. California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California. Accessed: 11jan02. <https://ww1.clunet.edu/wf/index.htm>

Heuser, C.W. 1997 The complete book of plant propagation. The Taunton Press, Newtown, Connecticut.

Junah, S., T. Ayers, R. Scott, D. Wilken, & D. Young 1995. A flora of San Cruz Island. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, California.

Kearney, T.H., R.H. Peebles, J.H. Howell, & E. McClintock 1960. Arizona flora. 2^nd ed. University of Califonia Press, Berkeley, California.

McMinn, H.E. 1939. An illustrated manual of California shrubs. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, & London.

Moerman, D. 1998. Native American ethnobotany. Timber Press, Oregon.

Mozingo, H.N. 1987. Shrubs of the Great Basin: a natural history. University of Nevada Press, Reno, Las Vegas & London.

Thomas, J.H. 1961. Flora of the San Cruz mountains of California: a manual of the vascular plants. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.

Van Dersal, W.R. 1939. Native woody plants of the United States, their erosion control & wildlife values. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

Vines, R.A. 1960. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the southwest. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas.

Prepared By

Jammie Favorite

Formerly, USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Species Coordinator

Lincoln M. Moore

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited: 09jan02 jsp; 25feb03 ahv; 14Mar05 rln; 31may06jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

Attribution: U.S. Department of Agriculture