Fourwing Saltbush Atriplex canescens 100 Seeds

Atriplex canescens, commonly known as fourwing saltbush, is a hardy, drought-tolerant shrub native to arid and semi-arid regions of western North America.

Growth Habit:

A perennial, woody shrub.

Typically grows 1–3 meters (3–10 feet) tall.

Erect and much-branched, forming a rounded or irregularly shaped crown.

Stems & Bark:

Young stems are greenish and covered in fine hairs.

Older stems become woody and grayish-brown.

Leaves:

Shape: Linear to narrowly lanceolate or ovate.

Color: Gray-green to silvery due to a dense covering of fine, scale-like hairs (canescent appearance).

Size: Usually 1–5 cm long.

Leaves are alternate and simple, often with smooth margins.

Flowers:

Type: Dioecious or monoecious (individual plants may bear male and female flowers separately or together).

Appearance: Small, yellowish, and inconspicuous; borne in axillary clusters or spikes.

Pollination: Primarily wind-pollinated.

Fruit:

A small, dry seed enclosed in a hard casing with four distinctive papery wings (2 pairs opposite each other), which aid in wind dispersal.

Matures in late summer to fall.

Ecology:

Native to deserts, dry plains, and alkaline or saline soils throughout western North America.

Extremely drought-tolerant and thrives in poor, sandy, or salty soils.

Important forage for livestock and wildlife.

Often used in rangeland restoration, erosion control, and revegetation of degraded land.