Atriplex glauca
Waxy saltbush
(c) Gabriele Kothe-Heinrich, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: Shrub · Not Native
Atriplex glauca (Waxy saltbush) is a non-native California shrub in the Chenopodiaceae family, recognized by coastal habitat, prostrate habit, distinctive basal lobes on fruit bracts.
Waxy saltbush is a naturalized shrub found in southern coastal California and western Transverse Ranges in beaches, coastal bluffs, and disturbed places at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small inconspicuous flowers with silvery gray-green foliage. Growing as a low subshrub less than 5 meters tall with prostrate stems and erect to ascending branches, it features a distinctive scaly appearance. Its leaves are lance-oblong to ovate-round, 5 to 20 millimeters long, with entire or slightly toothed edges in a silvery gray-green color. The fruit bracts are ovate-deltate, 4 to 5 millimeters long, with a base that is often two-lobed and smooth to slightly textured.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 28 sympatric species; coastal habitat, prostrate habit, distinctive basal lobes on fruit bracts
Habitat and range
Habitat: Beaches, coastal bluffs, disturbed places, annual grassland
Elevation: < 1000 m
Outside California: native to Europe
Bloom period
Atriplex glauca blooms Mar-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Artemisia: Atriplex leaves have bead-like scales; Artemisia leaves are finely divided and aromatic when crushed.; vs Ambrosia: Atriplex has simple scaly leaves; Ambrosia has deeply lobed or divided leaves with coarse hairs.; vs Extriplex: Atriplex has 3-5 calyx lobes on male flowers and two seed colors; Extriplex has exactly 4 lobes and uniform dark seeds.; vs Chenopodium: Atriplex has bead-like bladder hairs and paired fruit bracts; Chenopodium has mealy powder and calyx-enclosed fruits.; vs Eriogonum: Atriplex has scaly leaves and paired fruit bracts; Eriogonum has smooth leaves and papery flower tubes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Atriplex glauca native to California?
No. Atriplex glauca is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Atriplex glauca bloom?
Atriplex glauca blooms Mar-Jul.
What plant family does Atriplex glauca belong to?
Atriplex glauca is in the Chenopodiaceae family, genus Atriplex.
What habitat does Atriplex glauca grow in?
Atriplex glauca grows in Beaches, coastal bluffs, disturbed places, annual grassland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.