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Taxon  Report  
Atriplex patula  L.
Fat hen,   Fathen saltweed,   Spear orache,   Spear oracle
Atriplex patula is an annual herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Atriplex
Family: Chenopodiaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Habitat: coastal, salt-marsh

Communities: Coastal Strand, Coastal Salt Marsh, Alkali Sink, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + JEF + PLANTS + POWO
Alternate Names:
JEFAtriplex hastata ssp. patula
JEFAtriplex hastata var. patula
PLANTSAtriplex patula var. bracteata
PLANTSAtriplex patula var. erecta
PLANTSAtriplex patula var. japonica
More …
Information about  Atriplex patula from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (ATPA4)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Uses: The young leaves and shoots are edible raw or cooked and suffice as a spinach substitute.[9] The species has been proven to be effective in lowering salt content in soils when planted in areas with high road salt contamination.[3] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/23/2025).