Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Atriplex spinifera is a species of saltbush known by the common names spiny saltbush and spinescale saltbush. It is endemic to California, where it grows in dry habitat with saline soils, such as salt flats. Its distribution includes the Mojave Desert, the Central Valley, and surrounding mountain ranges. This is a grayish or whitish brambly shrub with erect branching stems growing to a maximum height near 2 meters. The tangled branches are stiff and tipped with spiny points. The leaves are oval in shape and less than 3 centimeters in length. The shrub is dioecious, with male and female individuals. The male flowers are small clusters in the leaf axils. The female flowers are solitary or borne in small clusters, and are enclosed in scaly leafs which become spherical as the fruit grows within.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

4 - 7 ft Tall

Calscape icon
Color

Cream

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Hedge

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Low

Site type

Saline flats, dry lakes

Plant communities

Alkali Sink, Wetland-Riparian

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 10 likely

Confirmed Likely

Alfalfa Looper Moth

Autographa californica

Western Pygmy Blue

Brephidium exilis

Chionodes kincaidella

Saltbush Sootywing

Hesperopsis alpheus