| Climbing Saltbush | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Chenopodioideae |
| Genus: | Einadia |
| Species: | E. Nutans |
| Binomial name | |
| Einadia nutans Raf. |
|
Einadia Nutans, known by its common name of Climbing Saltbush or Nodding Saltbush, is a climbing groundcover native to Australia.
Plants form a blanket on the surface, climbing over logs and up trees to a height of around 1 metre. Each plant grows to around one metre in diameter. The small leaves are semi-succulent, and have a distinctive arrowhead shape. They grow along long, vine-like branches spreading out form the centre of the plant. Both the leaves and the branches are of a light green colour.[1]
Flowers are inconspicuous green balls, which form on top of terminal spikes during summer. These transform into very conspicuous, tiny, bright-red berries during early autumn.
The plant was boiled along with other species of saltbush for use as a greens substitute by early European settlers in the Adelaide region.[2] The plant is easily propagated, making it a particularly attractive and useful plant for revegetation projects. It has recently been enjoying increasing popularity as a garden plant, for its low maintenance, low water usage properties.[3]