Atriplex torreyi var. torreyi

Torrey's saltbush

Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Torrey's saltbush is a California native shrub found in the eastern Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert regions in alkaline clay soils, dry lake beds, and washes at elevations of 300 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces inconspicuous flowers on densely branched stems with grayish-green foliage. Growing as an erect shrub 1.2 to 2 meters tall with many sharply angled, spreading branches that occasionally develop spine-like twigs, it forms a distinctive architectural shape in arid landscapes. Its leaves are sessile to short-petioled, ranging from 7 to 38 millimeters long, with ovate to deltate shapes densely covered in fine gray scales. The plant's unique structural characteristics include compressed, nearly spherical fruit bracts and a compact growth habit adapted to harsh desert environments.

Habitat: Alkaline clay soils, dry lakes, washes

Bloom period: Jun-Oct

Elevation: 300-2200 m

Bioregions: SNE, DMoj

California counties: Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino

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