Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Suaeda nigra (formerly Suaeda moquinii) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names Mojave seablite and bush seepweed. Suaeda nigra is native to much of western North America, from central Canada through the Western United States, Great Basin, the Mojave Desert in California, and into northern Mexico. It grows in many types of habitat with saline and alkaline substrates, such as desert flats, playas, and seeps. It is mostly an inland species but is occasionally seen in coastal areas, such as estuaries. Suaeda nigra is a shrub or subshrub growing from a woody base with many spreading branches, reaching up to 1. 5 metres (4. 9 ft) in height. The plants may grow as annuals at times. The species is genetically diverse and quite variable in appearance. It may be hairy to hairless but is usually waxy. It may be green to red to dark purple in color, sometimes almost black. The fleshy leaves are linear to lance-shaped, 1 to 3 centimeters long, and flat or cylindrical. Flowers occur in clusters along the upper stems, each cluster containing 1 to 12 flowers. Leaflike bracts accompany the clusters. The flower has no petals and is composed of a calyx of fleshy, rounded sepals. The fruit is an utricle that grows within the calyx.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

3 - 5 ft Tall
3 ft Wide

Dormancy

Evergreen

Calscape icon
Color

Cream

Flowering season

Spring

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Moderate, High

Summer irrigation

Keep moist

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil drainage

Fast

Soil description

Usually found in rocky, sandy or gravelly soil with subterranean water. Tolerates saline soil.,Tolerates sodic soil..
Soil PH: 7.0 - 8.0

Site type

Saline/alkaline flats with subsurface moisture

Plant communities

Alkali Sink, Coastal Sage Scrub, Coastal Salt Marsh, Creosote Bush Scrub, Sagebrush Scrub, Wetland-Riparian

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 1 likely

Confirmed Likely

Western Pygmy Blue

Brephidium exilis