Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Atriplex spinibractea
Common name
Spiny-fruit saltbush
Family
Chenopodiaceae
Where found
Woodland, grassy areas, and disturbed sites. Mainly Western Slopes. Several records in and near Queanbeyan.
Notes
Perennial herb to 0.3 m high, prostrate to sprawling. Seed cases with 1-several short spines. Stems wiry. Leaves alternating along the stems, 0.3-3 cm long, 2–4 mm wide, scaly hairy, sometimes virtually hairless on the upper surface, margins entire to toothed, and flat or wavy. Male and female flowers on the same plant, small, mealy. Male flowers with 5 'petals', lacking bracteoles. Female flowers usually with 0 'petals', but subtended by a pair of free or fused bracteoles which enlarge and cover the seed case at maturity. Male flowers in small clusters at the tops of the stems or at the base of the upper leaves. Female flowers single or few at the bases of the leaves.
Endangered Vic.
Hybridises with Atriplex semibaccata where the two species occur together.
PlantNET description with photos: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Atriplex~spinibractea (accessed 4 January, 2021)
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