Fruiting bodies (circled). Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plant. Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Shrub. Photographer Michael Craig, near Yunta, SA

Common Name

Bitter Saltbush, Mallee Saltbush, Kidney Saltbush

Family

Chenopodiaceae

Notes

Shrub to 1m tall.  Leaves 0.7-2.5cm long, flat, narrow to round, sometimes folded together with the edges curved back when dry, with a scaly sheen, the margins entire, tips blunt.  Male and female flowers on different plants, or male and female flowers on the same plant.  Flowers tiny (less than 3mm across), forming interrupted spikes at the tops of the stems. Male flowers can also be in clusters forming interrupted panicles at the tops of the stems. Female flowers can also be solitary or in few flowered clusters at the bases of the leaves.

Description (page 244), photo (page 245) and line drawing of fruiting body (page 242 Fig. 44-28) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales

PlantNET description:   http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Atriplex~stipitata