''Atriplex gardneri'' is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

Gardner's saltbush. It is native to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

in Canada south to

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

and

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

in the United States.Reed, William R. (1993)
''Atriplex gardneri''.
In: Fire Effects Information System, nline U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 1-1-2012. The specific epithet of the species, ''gardneri'', is misnamed after its first collector, Alexander Gordon. The naturalist

Alfred Moquin-Tandon Christian Horace Benedict Alfred Moquin-Tandon (7 May 1804 – 15 April 1863) was a French Natural history, naturalist and doctor. Moquin-Tandon was professor of zoology at Marseille from 1829 until 1833, when he was appointed professor of botany ...

was under the impression that Gordon's last name was Gardner.Weber, Willian Alfred. 1976. ''Rocky Mountain Flora: A Field Guide for the Identification of the Ferns, Conifers, and Flowering Plants of the Southern Rocky Mountains from Pikes Peak to Rocky Mountain National Park and from the Plains to the Continental Divide.'' Boulder, CO: Colorado Associated University Press, p. 112. This species is currently considered to be a complex of several

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

and the species is variable in appearance. The varieties can be variable in

ploidy Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Here ''sets of chromosomes'' refers to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, ...

level, with diploid, triploid, tetraploid, hexaploid, and others known.''Atriplex gardneri''.
Flora of North America. Retrieved 1-1-2012. Diploid and polyploid individuals may occupy different types of habitat. The varieties intergrade with each other and they can hybridize with each other and with other ''

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 ...

'' such as '' Atriplex corrugata''. In general, the plant is a

shrub A shrub or 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 trees by their multiple ...

or subshrub growing to in height. The stems may be prostrate or upright. The leaves may be oppositely or alternately arranged and they vary in shape and size. They may be green or grayish green in color. The species can be dioecious or monoecious with male and female flower parts located on separate plants or on the same plant. Flower color can vary across the varieties. The plant produces many seeds. The plant reproduces by seed and by resprouting and

layering Layering can refer to: * Layering (horticulture), a means of vegetative propagation * Layering (finance), a strategy in high frequency trading * Layering (linguistics), a principle by which grammaticalisation can be detected * Surface layering ...

. In one treatment, varieties include: *''A. g.'' var. ''aptera'' - Nelson's saltbush, native to the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

. *''A. g.'' var. ''bonnevillensis'' - Bonneville saltbush, native to Nevada and

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

*''A. g.'' var. ''cuneata'' - Castle Valley saltbush, occurs in Utah,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and New Mexico *''A. g.'' var. ''falcata'' - Jones' saltbush, occurs in the western United States *''A. g.'' var. ''gardneri'' - a widespread variety *''A. g.'' var. ''utahensis'' - basin saltbush, occurs in the western United States *''A. g.'' var. ''welshii'' - Welsh's saltbush, usually occurs with var. ''cuneata'' This plant like many other ''Atriplex'' is commonly found on salty and

alkaline soils Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico ...

. The soils may be clay or sandy. It is a member of several types of

saltbush Saltbush is a vernacular plant name that most often refers to ''Atriplex'', 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. ...

greasewood Greasewood is a common name shared by several plants: * ''Adenostoma fasciculatum'' is a plant with white flowers that is native to Oregon, Nevada, California, and northern Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the ...

plant communities A plant community is a collection or Association (ecology), association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The comp ...

, the two shrub types often occurring together. In some habitats it is a

climax species Climax species, also called late seral, late-successional, K-selected or equilibrium species, are plant species that can germinate and grow with limited resources; e.g., they need heat exposure or low water availability. They are the species wi ...

but it also takes hold during

secondary succession Secondary succession is the secondary ecological succession of a plant's life. As opposed to the first, primary succession, secondary succession is a process started by an event (e.g. forest fire, harvesting, hurricane, etc.) that reduces an a ...

after a habitat has been disturbed. This species is considered fire-resistant because it is low in flammable oils and high in ash and similar compounds. When it does burn down, the plant grows back quickly by resprouting from its roots. It is sometimes planted in fuelbreaks in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The leaves of the plant are a fairly nutritious food source for animals including antelope, some rabbit species, and

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American ante ...

. It is an important source of minimum nutritional requirements for ewes (female sheep) undergoing a

gestation period In mammals, pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a female carries one or more live offspring from implantation in the uterus through gestation. It begins when a fertilized zygote implants in the female's uterus, and ends once i ...

. This species blooms from May to August.

References

External links

The Nature ConservancyUSDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q8208713 gardneri Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of New Mexico Flora of Nebraska Flora of South Dakota Flora of North Dakota Flora of Western Canada