Atriplex littoralis
grass-leaved orache
Overview
Atriplex littoralis is an erect summer annual of the goosefoot group, growing 1-3 feet (30-100 cm) tall on a stiff, often red-streaked stem that branches mainly in the upper part. The leaves are narrow and grass-like, linear to narrowly lance-shaped, 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) long, untoothed or with a few shallow teeth, and coated when young with a mealy, greyish bloom that rubs off with age. Tiny greenish flowers without petals are crowded into slender, interrupted spike-like clusters at the stem tips from summer into autumn; separate male and female flowers occur on the same plant and are wind-pollinated. Each seed is enclosed by a pair of triangular, often warty bracteoles. The plant completes its life cycle in one season and dies after seeding. It tolerates salt and grows where many other plants cannot, but is killed by the first hard frost. Summer growth is rapid.
Native Range
Native to the coasts of Europe and western Asia, and spreading inland along salt-treated routes. Grows on the upper edges of salt marshes, drift lines, brackish ditch banks, and disturbed saline ground, and increasingly on the margins of gritted inland roads.Suggested Uses
Found in coastal and saltmarsh restoration, brackish wildlife plantings, and saline verge vegetation rather than ornamental settings. It establishes from seed on open saline ground where few other annuals grow. Its weedy seeding and narrow habitat needs limit any garden use.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 3'
Width/Spread8" - 1'6"
Colors
Bloom Information
Flowers from July to September. The small wind-pollinated flowers open over several weeks, with seed ripening from late summer into autumn. There is no petal display; flowering shows as the lengthening greenish spikes. Cold early-autumn weather ends the season.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
grey-green to greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Grows in full sun on saline or brackish, moderately moist soils and tolerates salt levels that exclude most plants. As an annual it is raised only from seed and dies at the end of the season. Seed germinates on bare, disturbed saline ground in spring. It does not tolerate dense shade or competition from established perennials. Frost kills the plant outright, so it carries over only as seed.Pruning
No pruning is required. Removing the seeding spikes before they ripen limits self-sown seedlings the following year. The plant dies after seed set and is cleared at the end of the season.✓ Toxicity
Non-toxicPlanting Guide
Planting Methods & Timing
Planting Method
direct sow