Atriplex watsonii
Encyclopedia
Atriplex watsonii is a species of saltbush
known by the common name Watson's saltbush, or Watson's orach. It is native to the coastline of California
and Baja California
, where it grows in coastal areas with saline soils, such as salt marsh
es and beach scrub, with other halophyte
s such as saltgrass. It extends inland in the Los Angeles Basin
, and along the Santa Ana River
.
The plant is dioecious
, with individuals bearing either male or female flowers. The male flowers grow in clusters or long spikes, and the female flowers can be found in small clusters in the leaf axils.
Atriplex
Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments...
known by the common name Watson's saltbush, or Watson's orach. It is native to the coastline of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it grows in coastal areas with saline soils, such as salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es and beach scrub, with other halophyte
Halophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
s such as saltgrass. It extends inland in the Los Angeles Basin
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the Peninsular and Transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs...
, and along the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
.
Description
This is a gray-green to whitish perennial herb with tangled slender stems under a meter in length. It grows in mats up to 3 meters wide. The thick, fleshy, crusty leaves are up to 2.5 centimeters long and generally oval in shape.The plant is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with individuals bearing either male or female flowers. The male flowers grow in clusters or long spikes, and the female flowers can be found in small clusters in the leaf axils.