''Atriplex confertifolia'', the shadscale or spiny saltbush, is a species of

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...

in the family

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it ...

, which is native to the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

and northern

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Gua ...

Description

The height of ''Atriplex confertifolia'' varies from . Shadscale fruits and leaves provide important winter browse for domestic livestock and native herbivores. Compared to fourwing saltbush ('' Atriplex canescens''), shadscale has shorter and wider leaves and the fruit does not have four wings (although it may have two wings in a "V" shape). This species blooms from March to June. Maximum osmotic pressure has been reported in Atriplex conf. where it is about 202.5 atm.

Distribution and habitat

Shadscale is a common, often dominant, shrub in the lowest and driest areas of the

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California. It is not ...

. It prefers sandy, well-drained soils and it is tolerant of moderately saline conditions. Its habitats include alkaline desert valleys, hillsides, and bluffs.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Atriplex confertifolia'' (shadscale)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Atriplex confertifolia''Missouri Botanical Garden: photo of herbarium isotype specimen of ''Atriplex subconferta'' (synonym of ''A. confertifolia'')
— ''collected in Wyoming (1911).'' * confertifolia Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the South-Central United States Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region Flora of the Great Basin Plants described in 1845 Taxa named by John Torrey Forages Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Amaranthaceae-stub