Herb: Wheelscale Saltbush


Latin name: Atriplex elegans


Family: Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)



Edible parts of Wheelscale Saltbush:

Leaves - cooked. They are boiled as a salty flavouring with other foods. Seed - used in piäole or ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups and stews, or mixed with cereal flours to enhance their nutritional value when making bread, biscuits, cakes etc.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual


Height:
20 cm
(7 3/4 inch)

Habitat of the herb:

Rather saline places in deserts and creosote bush scrub.

Propagation of Wheelscale Saltbush:

Seed - sow April/May in situ. Germination is usually rapid.

Cultivation of the herb:

Rather saline places in deserts and creosote bush scrub.

Medicinal use of Wheelscale Saltbush:

None known

Known hazards of Atriplex elegans:

No member of this genus contains any toxins, all have more or less edible leaves. However, if grown with artificial fertilizers, they may concentrate harmful amounts of nitrates in their leaves.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.