Atriplex patula
| Atriplex patula | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Atriplex patula (common name: spreading orach)
Propagation: Seed - sow April/May in situ[1]. Germination is usually rapid.
Cultivation: Succeeds in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil[2]. Prefers a rich soil. Tolerates saline and very alkaline soils[2].
Range: Most f Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia.
Habitat: Waste and arable land near the coast[3], it is usually found on clays and heavy ground[4].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked as a spinach substitute[5][6][7][8][9]. A fairly bland flavour, a few leaves of stronger-flavoured plants can be added to enhance the taste[3].
Seed - ground and mixed with cornmeal or used to thicken soups etc[9]. Small and very fiddly to harvest and use[3].
Medicinal: The seeds, harvested when just ripe, are said to be as efficacious as ipecacuanha as a laxative[4].
Pollinators: Wind, insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: Most reports say that no member of this genus contains any toxins and that all have more or less edible leaves. However, one report says that if very large quantities are eaten they can cause photosensitivity[10]. If plants are grown with artificial ferti
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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 3.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Brooker, Stanley. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press, 1991.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Bolton, Eileen. Lichens for Vegetable Dyeing. Studio Vista, 1972.