Arizona Wild Flowers
Wildflower Pictures And Photos

Fourwing Saltbush, Atriplex canescens

Fourwing Saltbush, Atriplex canescens. Photo June 28, 2006. Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.

Fourwing Saltbush Atriplex canescens	Fourwing Saltbush Atriplex canescens
Fourwing Saltbush Atriplex canescens Female Flowers	Fourwing Saltbush Atriplex canescens Male Flowers
Four Wing Saltbush Atriplex canescens Winged Fruit	Fourwing Saltbush Atriplex canescens Winged Fruit

Fourwing Saltbush Atriplex canescens, Goosefoot Family ( Chenopodiaceae ), Fourwing Saltbush. Also called Four Wing Saltbush. An erect, stout, and many - branched perennial evergreen shrub, growing 1 to 7 feet tall, and 1 to 15 feet in diameter. It flowers from May to September and reproduces from seed. Fourwing saltbush is well adapted to a wide range of temperature and soil conditions. It is highly tolerant of drought, salinity, and alkalinity. Fourwing saltbush occurs on sand dunes, in gravelly washes, on mesas, ridges, alluvial plains, and slopes, at elevations between 3,000 and 8,000 feet. Prefers many different soil types, most common on deep, well - drained, sandy (often alkaline) soils in the desert and foothill ranges of the Great Basin. It also grows well on heavy clay asoil. Fourwing saltbush is a valuable browse that tolerates heavy use. It is used extensively by many wildlife species and domestic livestock. Native Americans ground the seeds to make flour for bread. The pollen of Fourwing Saltbush often causes hay fever. Height: 1 to 7 feet tall, and 1 to 15 feet in diameter. Flowers: Flowers occur in panicles. Male and female flowers are usually borne on separate plants. The male flowers grow in dense clusters arranged as spike-like branches in a terminal panicle and are green in color. Female flowers grow in short axillary spikelets, appearing as a terminal panicle, yellow in color. Blooming Time: May to September. Fruits/Seeds: A utricle, enclosed in a pair of 2-winged bracts, giving it the "fourwing" appearance. Leaves: Alternate or occurring in fascicles (like pine needles). Blades are oblong to wide oval to lance-shaped, 3/8 inch wide and 2 inches long. Margins are entire and may be rolled. The surfaces are thick gray and scurfy. Found: Native to Arizona and other southwestern states. Elevation: 800 - 8,000 Feet. Naturally, most is found between 3,000 - 8,000 feet. Habitat: Sand dunes, in gravel washes, mesas, ridges, alluvial plains, and slopes. Xeriscape Landscaping. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken June 28, 2006.