Atriplex hastata
| Atriplex hastata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Atriplex hastata (common name: hastate orach)
Propagation: Seed - sow April/May in situ[1]. Germination is usually rapid.
Cultivation: Requires a position in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil[2]. Tolerates saline and very alkaline soils[2].
A polymorphic species[3].
This species is a poor companion for potatoes, inhibiting their growth when growing close to them[4].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, south from Scandanavia to N. Africa, east to Asia.
Habitat: Waste or disturbed ground, often near the sea, on sand, shingle and mud above the high-tide mark[3].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[5][6][7]. Used as a spinach substitute, they have a fairly bland flavour and are often mixed with stronger tasting leaves[8][9].
Seed - cooked[8][7]. Ground into a powder and used to thicken soups etc or added to wheat flour and used in making bread. Very fiddly to harvest because the seed is quite small.
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
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.
Also Known As: A. deltoidea.
Links
References
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.