Atriplex spinifera

Identification

Gallery

Description

Rhis Atriplex is a four foot grey shrub. Native from eastern SLO Co. to Fresno and east. Plant in the dry interior areas for wildlife. (Note: The Atriplexes from arid enviroments have a C4 photosynthetic pathway which is generally a more drought tolerant way for the plant to use its water. They will defoliate under extreme drought. The salt they accumulate in their leaves allows them to extract water from the soil other plants cannot.They need to be under some form of water stress, either drought, salt, or salt spray.(Sharma) The Atriplex species tolerate and remove the excess salts by bladders in their leaves that act as salt sinks, keeping the salt from the plant cells. As the old leaves are shed or eaten the salt is removed from the plant. Atriplex confertiflora can handle 30 ppm Boron in solution.(Most plants burn out at 1-5 ppm.) (Schirmer&Breckle))