The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

beach saltbush, sea scale, whiteleaf orach

four-corners orach

Habit Herbs, prostrate (decumbent or procumbent), many branched, 1.5–6 dm, somewhat woody below, coarse, white scurfy. Herbs, branching from base, mainly 0.5–1.5 dm, glabrous or sparingly scurfy.
Leaves

many, sometimes crowded;

blade orbiculate to ovate or ovate-lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, 8–40 × 4–18 mm, base obtuse or rounded, white scurfy.

alternate to subopposite, petiolate;

blade ovate to suborbiculate, 5–18(–20) mm, about as wide, margin entire, apex obtuse to acute.

Staminate flowers

in dense terminal spikes.

in short terminal spikes.

Pistillate flowers

in few-flowered, axillary clusters.

Seeds

dark red-brown, 2.5–3 mm.

falling at maturity, black, 1.5 mm, shining, smooth.

Fruiting

bracteoles not compressed, 5–7 mm, faces usually with wartlike projections, scurfy.

bracteoles short stipitate, compressed, 3–7 mm wide and about as long, entire;

perianth consisting of 5 hyaline, sparsely ciliate scales 1–1.2 mm.

Atriplex leucophylla

Atriplex pleiantha

Phenology Flowering spring–fall. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Sea beaches, along coasts, at higher elevation inland Salt-desert shrub community
Elevation 0-30 m (0-100 ft) 1400-1500 m (4600-4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT
Discussion

Atriplex leucophylla occurs with Potentilla, Camissonia, Ambrosia, Cakile, and Calystegia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 366. FNA vol. 4, p. 345.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Obione > sect. Obione > subsect. Leucophyllae Chenopodiaceae > Atriplex > subg. Obione > sect. Pleianthae
Sibling taxa
A. acanthocarpa, A. amnicola, A. argentea, A. californica, A. canescens, A. confertifolia, A. cordulata, A. coronata, A. corrugata, A. coulteri, A. covillei, A. dioica, A. elegans, A. fruticulosa, A. gardneri, A. garrettii, A. glabriuscula, A. gmelinii, A. graciliflora, A. heterosperma, A. holocarpa, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. joaquiniana, A. klebergorum, A. laciniata, A. lentiformis, A. lindleyi, A. linearis, A. littoralis, A. matamorensis, A. mucronata, A. nudicaulis, A. nummularia, A. oblongifolia, A. obovata, A. pacifica, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. patula, A. pentandra, A. phyllostegia, A. pleiantha, A. polycarpa, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. saccaria, A. semibaccata, A. serenana, A. spinifera, A. suberecta, A. suckleyi, A. tatarica, A. torreyi, A. truncata, A. tularensis, A. watsonii, A. wolfii, A. wrightii
A. acanthocarpa, A. amnicola, A. argentea, A. californica, A. canescens, A. confertifolia, A. cordulata, A. coronata, A. corrugata, A. coulteri, A. covillei, A. dioica, A. elegans, A. fruticulosa, A. gardneri, A. garrettii, A. glabriuscula, A. gmelinii, A. graciliflora, A. heterosperma, A. holocarpa, A. hortensis, A. hymenelytra, A. joaquiniana, A. klebergorum, A. laciniata, A. lentiformis, A. leucophylla, A. lindleyi, A. linearis, A. littoralis, A. matamorensis, A. mucronata, A. nudicaulis, A. nummularia, A. oblongifolia, A. obovata, A. pacifica, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. patula, A. pentandra, A. phyllostegia, A. polycarpa, A. powellii, A. prostrata, A. pusilla, A. rosea, A. saccaria, A. semibaccata, A. serenana, A. spinifera, A. suberecta, A. suckleyi, A. tatarica, A. torreyi, A. truncata, A. tularensis, A. watsonii, A. wolfii, A. wrightii
Synonyms Obione leucophylla Proatriplex pleiantha
Name authority (Moquin-Tandon) D. Dietrich: Syn. Pl. 5: 536. (1852) W. A. Weber: Madroño 10: 189, figs. 1, 2. (1950)
Web links