The Grey Saltbush (Atriplex cinerea)is a coastal plant adapted to exposed foreshore areas, as it is very tolerant of high salinity and droughty soils.

It is a low spreading shrub, up to 1.5m high with attractive silvery-grey leaves. It has an extensive root systems making, it an ideal plant for binding erosion-prone sandy soils. It flowers from September to March with dense purple-red male flowers at tips of branches, with silver-green female flowers on separate bushes, in the leaf axils.

Collect the seed by cutting off the flowering head or remove fruit by rubbing hand through the bush.

The fruit contains salt which inhibits germination. The salt can be easily removed by rubbing the fruit under running water for several minutes, or soaking in water for an hour.

After washing, the seeds are usually sown while still in the fruit, or seeds can be removed from the fruit and sown with out washing. It can be also grown from cuttings usually taken in January or February.

In the garden annual pruning will prevent the plant from becoming leggy.