Common Name

Mat Saltbush

Family

Chenopodiaceae

Notes

Prostrate to spawling annual or perennial forb to 15cm tall.  Leaves 0.2-1cm long, flat, hairy, scaly, margins toothed or entire.  Flowers small (less than 3mm across), male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers in clusters at the ends of the stems or at the bases of the leaves near the ends of the branches, female flowers in clusters scattered along the branches or on dwarf side shoots, sometimes reduced to one flower.

Description (as Atriplex prostrata) (page 243) and line drawing of fruiting body (page 242 Fig. 44-22) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales

PlantNET description with line drawing of fruiting body:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Atriplex~pumilio

Photo of plant. Photo: Russell Best, Wyperfeld National Park, Vic