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Grey saltbush Atriplex cinerea

October 18, 2021 — BarryK

There is a little bare patch in my garden, where thought would buy a ground cover plant, something drought tolerant. Bought "Atriplex cinerea" seedling from Bunnings, and Australian native coastal plant.

When I got it home, I looked closely, and it has little bumps all over the leaves and stems. I wondered whether that was an infestation, however, a bit of online research showed that's how it is. See this photo:

img1

Photo is from the wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_cinerea

My garden is sandy soil, not coastal, so it will be interesting to see how this plant fares.

It was very interesting to learn that Atriplex cinerea is edible. The wikipedia mentions it being used as feed for cattle, and I found this link:

https://www.bushecho.com/wild-edibles-grey-saltbush/

...edible for humans also. As the article states, it is easy to identify, with those little globules all over it, so probably easy not to confuse it with some other poisonous plant -- don't  quote me on that, just guessing.

Always interested in growing edible plants, so looking forward to this one thriving.

Ah, the ocean! I regularly drive to the ocean, where there are rugged limestone cliffs, and walk the pathways:

img2

...see that hunk of limestone standing alone, undercut by the waves. It is home to various sea birds.    

Tags: ethos