Hastate Orache
Atriplex prostrata
Annual to 80 cm high. Lower leaves triangular hastate) to 8 cm, with a long stalk to 4 cm. Upper leaves linear to narrow-elliptic and to 40 cm long. Leaves are hairless, sometimes powdery underneath. Fruiting bracteoles below the female flowers are triangular, sometimes slightly toothed.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Flora Type | Chenopods |
| Distinctive Features | Leaves powdery grey from hairs on leaves. Fruiting bracteoles triangular, 5_6 mm long, sometimes slightly toothed. |
| Biology | Common in wet sites, often fringing saltmarsh vegetation and on saline soils. |
| Native Status | Native |
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants) |
| Class | Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants) |
| Order | Caryophyllales |
| Family | Chenopodiaceae |
| Genus | Atriplex |
| Species | prostrata |
Native to Europe, Asia and North America. Naturalised to all Australian southern States. Seeds and possibly leaves of some species were used as food by Aboriginal people.
| Interesting Facts | |
|---|---|
| Similar Species | Hastate Orache A. prostrata used to be applied to species now called A. pumilio. Can be mistaken for the native A. australasica, which has older leaves that taper toward the base and upper leaves that are commonly linear, rather than triangular or ovate. |
| Native Status | Native |