Atriplex halimus
| Atriplex halimus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Atriplex halimus (common name: sea orach)
Propagation: Seed - sow April/May in a cold frame in a compost of peat and sand. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 13°c[1]. Pot up the seedlings when still small into individual pots, grow on in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. The seed is seldom formed[2].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very easy. Pot up as soon as they start to root (about 3 weeks) and plant out in their permanent positions late in the following spring[K].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, November/December in a frame. Very easy. Pot up in early spring and plant out in their permanent position in early summer[K].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it succeeds in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil[3][2]. Tolerates saline and very alkaline soils[2]. Succeeds in dry soils including pure sands[4][5]. Plants will grow in semi-shade, though they will soon become leggy in such a position, they are really best in full sun[K]. A very wind hardy plant, it is resistant to salt-laden gales[5], and can be used as a hedge in maritime areas[3]. Plants dislike very wet climates[K].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[2]. This plant is hardier than the foregoing report suggests, it grows well at Hilliers Arboretum in Hampshire where temperatures can fall somewhat lower than -10°c[K]. Plants can be damaged by severe frosts but they soon recover[6]. Resents root disturbance when large[1].
Plants are apt to succumb to winter wet when grown on heavy or rich soils[3].
Range: S. Europe. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[2].
Habitat: Coastal sands by the sea[7][8]. Saltmarshes[2].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[9][10][11][12]. Some forms are eaten raw[12]. A famine food according to one report[12], but in our opinion it is far from being a famine food, in fact this is one of the more popular crops being grown at 'The Field' at present (1993)[K]. The leaves have a very nice rather salty flavour, they go well in salads or can be cooked like spinach[K]. When lightly steamed, the leaves retain their crispness and are a delicious spinach substitute[K]. The leaves retain their salty flavor even when grow inland in non-salty soils[K]. The leaves can be used at any time of the year though winter harvesting must be light because the plant is not growing much at this time[K].
Seed - cooked[13]. It can be ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups, or mixed with cereals in making bread. The seed is small and fiddly.
The plant is said to yield an edible manna[14].
Medicinal: The shoots are burnt to produce an antacid powder.[15]
Usage: The ash from the burnt plant is used as the alkali in making soap[10][11].
The plant makes a superb wind-resistant low-growing hedge that can be allowed to grow untrimmed or can be trimmed[K]. It is especially valuable in maritime areas, succeeding right on the coast, though can also be used inland[5][3][K]. The plant is extremely tolerant of pruning and can regrow even when cut back into old wood[K].
The plant draws salt out of the soil and so has been used in soil-reclamation projects to de-salinate the soil[K].
Pollinators: Wind
Notes: An excellent hedge plant, will the chickens forage on it?
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Monoecious
Known Hazards: No member of this genus contains any toxins, all have more or less edible leaves. However, if grown with artificial fertilizers, they may concentrate harmful amounts of nitrates in their leaves.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Arnold-Forster, William. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rosewarne Experimental Horticultural Station. Shelter Trees and Hedges. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1984.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.