Atriplex canescens var. macilenta

Salton saltbush

Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Salton saltbush is a California native shrub found in the southern desert region, specifically in saline desert flats and alluvial fans at elevations below 160 meters. Flowering from March to October, this plant produces inconspicuous greenish flowers with distinctive winged fruit bracts. Growing as a compact shrub 30 to 150 centimeters tall, it develops a sturdy branching structure adapted to harsh desert conditions. Its leaves are uniquely shaped, ranging from 10 to 25 millimeters long, with an oblanceolate to linear form that tapers at the base and has an obtuse tip. The plant's fruit bracts are particularly notable, developing wings with irregular serrated edges 4 to 8 millimeters long.

Habitat: Saline desert flats, alluvial fans

Bloom period: Mar-Oct

Elevation: < 160 m

Bioregions: DSon.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.