Common Name: Climbing Saltbush

General Information

Chenopodium nutans is a evergreen climbing perennial plant with twining stems that can be herbaceous or woody. The plant scrambles over the ground to form a mat of growth and also climbs into nearby vegetation; the stems can be up to 100cm long.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is also sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens, where it can be used as a ground cover.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

Australia - Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory, Western Australia.

Habitat

Low stony hills and saline areas in red sand and clay soils[]. Heavy soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Chenopodium nutans is found mainly in warm temperate to subtropical climates, the plant also grows in the tropics.
Requires a sunny position and a well-drained soil.
In areas with cold winters, the plant can be grown as a spring-sown annual, flowering and setting seed in its first year[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked. A salty and slightly bitter flavour[].

Fruit - raw or cooked. The red or yellow , globose fruit is around 2 - 3mm in diameter[, ].They are very small and fiddly to harvest with very little flavour[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The scrambling stems form a mat of growth on the soil and are an effective ground cover.

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a week, prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts.