Atriplex patula
L.
Amaranthaceae
Atriplex agrestis Schur
Atriplex amana Post
Atriplex angustifolia Sm.
Atriplex erecta Huds.
Atriplex hastata patula (L.) E.Pons
Atriplex hastilifolia Rchb. ex Steud.
Atriplex macrodira Guss.
Atriplex nemorensis Schur
Atriplex oblongifolia patula (L.) Westerl.
Atriplex polymorpha Coss., Germ. & Wedd.
Atriplex procumbens S.B.Jundz.
Atriplex recta Schur
Atriplex salina Desf.
Atriplex verreauxii Moq.
Atriplex virgata Scop.
Chenopodium angustifolium (Sm.) E.H.L.Krause
Chenopodium zosterifolium Hook.
Obione angustifolia (Phil.) Ulbr.
Schizotheca patula Fourr.
Common Name: Spreading Orach
General Information
Atriplex patula is a usually erect, annual plant with a branched stem 30 - 90cm tall[
74- Title
- Flora of the USSR.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Komarov. V. L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Israel Program for Scientific Translation
- Year
- 1968
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine
The plant has spread as a weed and become naturalized in temperate regions of New Zealand, North and South America.
Known Hazards
Most reports say that no member of this genus contains any toxins and that all have more or less edible leaves. However, one report says that if very large quantities are eaten they can cause photosensitivity[
70- Title
- Lichens for Vegetable Dyeing.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bolton. E.
- Publisher
- Studio Vista
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-289-70288-7
- Description
- A small but interesting book for the casual reader and the enthusiast.
]. If plants are grown with artificial fertilizers they may concentrate harmful amounts of nitrates in their leaves.
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
74- Title
- Flora of the USSR.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Komarov. V. L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Israel Program for Scientific Translation
- Year
- 1968
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
Range
Eurasia - Norway to Portugal, through northern Asia to eastern Siberia, through Ukraine to the Caucasus, through Turkey to Afghanistan and the Levant
Habitat
Waste and arable land near the coast[
9- Title
- Edible and Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Launert. E.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-600-37216-2
- Description
- Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
], it is usually found on clays and heavy ground[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
]. Roadsides, waste ground, riverbanks, and weed-infested places generally[
74- Title
- Flora of the USSR.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Komarov. V. L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Israel Program for Scientific Translation
- Year
- 1968
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Properties
| Weed Potential | Yes |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.75 m |
| Pollinators | Wind, Insects, Self |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Succeeds in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prefers a rich soil. Tolerates saline and very alkaline soils[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
Young leaves - raw or cooked as a spinach substitute[
5- Title
- Food for Free.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Mabey. R.
- Publisher
- Collins
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0-00-219060-5
- Description
- Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
,
85- Title
- Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Harrington. H. D.
- Publisher
- University of New Mexico Press
- Year
- 1967
- ISBN
- 0-8623-0343-9
- Description
- A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
,
95- Title
- Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Saunders. C. F.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- 0-486-23310-3
- Description
- Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.
,
153- Title
- Economic Native Plants of New Zealand.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1991
- ISBN
- 0-19-558229-2
- Description
- An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand.
,
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. A fairly bland flavour, a few leaves of stronger-flavoured plants can be added to enhance the taste[
9- Title
- Edible and Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Launert. E.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-600-37216-2
- Description
- Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
].
Seed - ground and mixed with cornmeal or used to thicken soups etc[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. Small and very fiddly to harvest and use[
9- Title
- Edible and Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Launert. E.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-600-37216-2
- Description
- Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
].
Medicinal
The seeds, harvested when just ripe, are said to be as efficacious as ipecacuanha as a laxative[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow mid spring in situ[
134- Title
- Growing from Seed. Volume 2.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Rice. G. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Thompson and Morgan.
- Year
- 1988
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
]. Germination is usually rapid.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
