Hedge Saltbush
Rhagodia spinescens
Vigorous shrub to 3 m high, widely and intricately branched, spiny, stems covered with hairs when young. Sometimes forms dense, hedge-like stands. Leaves roughly opposite, hairy, egg-shaped to triangular, to 20 mm long, with stems. Flowers mostly unisexual, in spikes with female flowers 3 mm in diameter. Fruit a deep-red or pink berry, 4-6 mm diameter.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Flora Type | Chenopods |
| Other Common Names | Creeping Saltbush, Thorny Saltbush, Berry Saltbush |
| Distinctive Features | Mostly small shrub, spiny, with silvery-grey foliage and red berries. |
| Biology | Occurs on loams, clay loams, heavy clays, and saline soils such as lake margins and dune swales. Widespread over winter-dominated rainfall areas of arid or semi-arid country. Moderately palatable to stock but browsed readily only when other forage is scarce. |
| Native Status | Native |
| Flowering Time | Flowers are present most of year, mainly spring-summer, with fruits present mainly during the cooler months of the year |