CHENOPODIACEAE

Grey Saltbush

 

1 - 1.5m 

Shrubs are either male or female; males can be identified by dense brown spikes of flowers up to 5cm long. Female flowers are cryptic, and are single or occur in small clusters in the leaf axils. 

 

Dense shrub to 6m wide, with white, stout, grooved branches and 5-6cm long, silvery-grey, leathery leaves. 

Break O'Day; Brighton; Burnie; Clarence; Derwent Valley; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Hobart; King Island; Kingborough; Latrobe; West Coast 

 

Frequent in salt marshes and on coasts. 

 

 

 

Seed released within 3-14 days of seed maturity. Seed is easy to collect and usually has good results, but viability is variable. 2-3 seeds can be sown directly into pots. Strikes easily from cuttings, requires good drainage. Edible foliage, mistaken as a 'sort of sage' by members of the First Fleet. Tolerant of salt spray. Suitable below powerlines. 

Brown seeds germinate easily, but black seeds only germinate after 3-6 years storage. Fruits are grey, and egg or diamond-shaped. 

Leaching 

 

 

Seed can be sown while still in the fruit, as long as the fruits are rubbed under running water for several minutes or soaked in water for eight hours, and the water changes 2 or 3 times. This removes the salt which inhibits germination. 

 

Yes 

 

 

Yes 

Strikes easily from cuttings.