SALTBUSH
Spearpoint
Saltbush (Atriplex
acutibractea)
Grey-mealy
shrub to 5Ocms;
stiff, tangled branches. Leaves flat and oval, 1-2cms long and
shallowly toothed. Flowers clustered between leaf and stem. Leafy
fruit with a hard, swollen tube and 2 small, erect teeth. Moderately
common as small, widely scattered individuals on various soil types.
Flowers mainly July to October, Useful forage.
Fan Saltbush
(Atriplex
angulata)
Grey-mealy
shrub to 3Ocms;
brittle, woody stems. Leaves alternate, 1.5 3cms long. Flowers
clustered between leaf and stem. Fruit flattened and fan shaped.
Widely distributed and locally common on various soil types. Flowers
mainly July to October. Useful forage.
Bladder Saltbush
(Atriplex
vesicaria)
Shrub to 70
cms high and wide;
brittle, woody stems. Leaves powdery with salt, 1 - 2.5cms long.
Flowers in dense spikes or singularly between leaf and stem. Fruit 2
leafy bracts with puffy bladders. Widespread and very common on
various soil types. Flowers mainly Spring and Summer. Good drought
forage, but sensitive to over-grazing.
Thorny Saltbush
(Rhagodia
spinescens)
Shrub to 1.5
metres; branches
rigid, older branches ending in a spine. Leaves 5-1Omm long, tapering
to a conspicuous point. Flowers in spikes or short clusters at tips
of branches. Fruit a deep-red berry. Widespread and fairly common on
loarns and clays. Flowers mainly Spring and Summer. Good drought
forage. Larger bushes may harbour rabbits, but are valuable seed
sources.
