Atriplex lentiformis
| Atriplex lentiformis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Atriplex lentiformis (common name: quail bush)
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.
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: Requires a position in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil[2]. Tolerates saline and very alkaline soils[2]. Succeeds in a hot dry position.
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[2].
Plants can be monoecious or dioecious.
Range: South-western N. America.
Habitat: Alkaline places, mainly below 600 metres in California[3].
Edibility: Leaves and young shoots - cooked[4].
Seed - cooked[5][6]. It can be used as a piñole or be ground into a meal and used as a porridge, a thickener in soups or added to flour for making bread[7]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to use[7].
Medicinal: The fresh leaves can be chewed, or the dried leaves smoked, in the treatment of head colds[7].
The crushed flowers, stems and leaves can be steamed and inhaled to treat nasal congestion[7].
A poultice of the powdered roots has been applied to sores[7].
Usage: The crushed leaves and roots have been used as a soap for washing clothes etc[7].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
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
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.