Atriplex confertifolia

Atriplex confertifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Chenopodiaceae
Genus: Atriplex
Species: A. confertifolia
Binomial name
Atriplex confertifolia
Torr. & Frém.

Atriplex confertifolia (shadscale) is a species of evergreen shrub in the Chenopodiaceae family, which is native to the western United States.

Habitat

Shadscale is a common, often dominant, shrub in the lowest and driest areas of the Great Basin. It prefers sandy, well-drained soils and it is tolerant of moderately saline conditions.

Description

The height of Atriplex confertifolia varies from 1–3 feet (0.30–0.91 m). Shadscale fruits and leaves provide important winter browse for domestic livestock and native herbivores. Compared to fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), shadscale has shorter and wider leaves and the fruit does not have four wings (although it may have two wings in a "V" shape).

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