Saltbush is a vernacular plant name that most often refers to ''
Atriplex
''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''.
The genus is quite variable and ...
'', a genus of about 250 plants distributed worldwide from subtropical to subarctic regions. ''Atriplex'' species are native to Australia, North and South America, and Eurasia. Many ''Atriplex'' species are
halophyte
A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, coming into contact with saline water through its roots or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. ...
s and are adapted to dry environments with salty soils.
The genus ''
Chenopodium'' is taxonomically a cousin of the genus ''Atriplex''. Certain chenopodiums may be called saltbushes, including ''
C. robertianum'' and ''
C. nutans''.
''
Sarcobatus vermiculatus
''Sarcobatus'' is a North American genus of two species of flowering plants, formerly considered to be a single species. Common names for ''S. vermiculatus'' include greasewood, seepwood, and saltbush. Traditionally, ''Sarcobatus'' has been ...
'', native to North America, is a halophyte plant, and is sometimes informally called a saltbush.
File:Atriplex canescens habit.jpg, Four-winged saltbush (''Atriplex canescens'')
File:Einadia hastata Brush Farm.JPG, '' Chenopodium robertianum'' berries
File:Einadia nutans 1.jpg, '' Chenopodium nutans'' berries
File:Sarcobatus vermiculatus (4018712194).jpg, Cone-like structures containing the female flowers of ''Sarcobatus vermiculatus
''Sarcobatus'' is a North American genus of two species of flowering plants, formerly considered to be a single species. Common names for ''S. vermiculatus'' include greasewood, seepwood, and saltbush. Traditionally, ''Sarcobatus'' has been ...
''
See also
*
Saltwort, a class of flowering plants that are tolerant of salty soils
*
Barrier saltbush, ''Enchylaena''
{{plant common name