Atriplex confertifolia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Amaranthaceae |
Genus: | Atriplex |
Species: | A. confertifolia
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Binomial name | |
Atriplex confertifolia | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Atriplex confertifolia, the shadscale or spiny saltbush, [3] is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae, which is native to the western United States and northern Mexico. [4] [5]
The height of Atriplex confertifolia varies from 1–3 ft (0.30–0.91 m). 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). [6]
This species blooms from March to June.
Maximum osmotic pressure has been reported in Atriplex conf. where it is about 202.5 atm.
Shadscale is a common, often dominant, shrub in the lowest and driest areas of the Great Basin. It prefers sandy, well-drained soils and it is tolerant of moderately saline conditions. Its habitats include alkaline desert valleys, hillsides, and bluffs. [7]