Berry and leaves (ssp. nutans). Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Berries and leaves (ssp. nutans). Photo: Don Wood, south coast, NSW

Plant (ssp. nutans). Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Berries and leaves (ssp. oxycarpa). Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Climbing Saltbush, Nodding Saltbush

Family

Chenopodiaceae

Notes

Perennial forb or climber with a woody base, prostrate or to 1m tall.  Leaves flat, sometimes with pointed lobes at the base, 0.5-4cm long, linear to broadly triangular, hairless, scurfy when young, often lobed at the base, with entire edges.  Flowers tiny (less than 3mm across), in short spikes or panicles at the bases of the leaves and the ends of the stems.  Fruit red, orange, or yellow.

Einadia nutans ssp. nutans has squashed spherical fruit, leaves usually less than 2cm long, and less robust stems. 

Einadia nutans ssp. oxycarpa has egg-shaped fruit. 

Einadia nutans ssp. eremaea usually has narrower leaves than the other two subspecies, with pointed lobes at the base, some leaves 2-3cm long, and robust stems with obvious striations.

Description (as Rhagodia nutans) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 278. The photo is probably of Einadia nutans ssp. oxycarpa.

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