Atriplex canescens – Fourwing Saltbush

Atriplex canescens - Fourwing Saltbush, Four-wing Saltbush, Chamise, Chamize, Chamiso, Shadscale (flowers)

Atriplex canescens - Fourwing Saltbush, Four-wing Saltbush, Chamise, Chamize, Chamiso, Shadscale (seeds)

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Atriplex canescens

Common Names: Fourwing Saltbush, Four-wing Saltbush, Chamise, Chamize, Chamiso, Shadscale

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial, Evergreen

Growth Habit: Shrub

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert, Upland, Mountain

Flower Color: Inconspicuous (yellowish, greenish)

Flowering Season: Summer

Height: To 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, but usually half that

Description: The yellowish male flowers are in dense spikes at the branch tips. The greenish female flowers are axillary and inconspicuous. The seeds are enclosed in 4-winged, membranous capsules. The leaves are grayish green and narrowly linear in shape. This plant is very salt and drought tolerant.

Special Characteristics

Allergenic – This plant's pollen is a severe allergen.

Edible – The ground seed and the raw or cooked leaves are edible.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Caryophyllidae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Chenopodiaceae – Goosefoot family
Genus: Atriplex L. – saltbush
Species: Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt. – fourwing saltbush

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map