Atriplex carnosa

At a glance

Lifecycle
Annual
Exposure
Full sun

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though it should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual. It might be no more than a synonym for A. patula. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil.

Propagation

Seed - sow April/May in situ. Germination is usually rapid.

Edible uses

Leaves - cooked and used as a spinach. Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups etc, or can be mixed with cereal flours to enrich the protein content when making bread, cakes, biscuits etc.

Habitat

By the coast and inland, especially on saline or alkaline soils.

Native range

Western N. America

Same genus