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Mojave Saltbush
Atriplex spinifera
  
About Mojave Saltbush (Atriplex spinifera) 4 Nurseries Carry This Plant Atriplex spinifera is a species of saltbush known by the common names spiny saltbush and spinescale saltbush. It is endemic to California, where it grows in dry habitat with saline soils, such as salt flats. Its distribution includes the Mojave Desert, the Central Valley, and surrounding mountain ranges. This is a grayish or whitish brambly shrub with erect branching stems growing to a maximum height near 2 meters. The tangled branches are stiff and tipped with spiny points. The leaves are oval in shape and less than 3 centimeters in length. The shrub is dioecious, with male and female individuals. The male flowers are small clusters in the leaf axils. The female flowers are solitary or borne in small clusters, and are enclosed in scaly leafs which become spherical as the fruit grows within.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3.5 - 7 ft tall

Flower Color
Flower Color
Cream

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 


Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Nurseries
Nurseries

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Bird Gardens

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Saline flats, dry lakes

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.4" - 22.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.13" - 1.16", Coldest Month: 40.0" - 53.4", Hottest Month: 68.6" - 81.8", Humidity: 1.72" - 35.61", Elevation: 92" - 5287"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Spinescale Saltbush, Spiny Saltbush


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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