Watson’s saltbush is a herbaceous perennial native to coastal areas of California and Baja California with saline soil such as salt marshes, coastal strand, and beach scrub. It is a member of the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae, that also includes spinach, beets, and cock’s comb. The plant is prostrate or decumbent, grows 8-29″ tall, and forms a tangled mat 3-33′ across. The thick, fleshy leaves are broadly elliptical to ovate and vary in size but are less than an inch long. Both stems and leaves have a white flaky surface. From spring to summer, small yellow male and female flowers appear on different plants. The male flowers are in long spikes or rounded terminal clusters while the female flowers are in axillary clusters. The genus name, Atriplex, is the Greek name for orach, a related plant that can be used as spinach. The specific epithet, watsonii, honors Sereno Watson (1826-1892) a curator in the Gray Herbarium and a student of plants of the Western United States.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Bloom: Clusters of small yellow male and female flowers on different plants from spring to fall
Size: 8-29′ tall
Light: Full sun
Soil: Sandy, most to dry, tolerates salt and alkaline conditions
Hardiness: Zones 10-11
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: None of signficiance
Propagation: Seed
Companion Plants: Saltgrass, sand verbena, bush lupines
Photo Credit: docentjoyce Wikimedia Commons