River saltbush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River saltbush |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Atriplex
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| Species: |
amnicola
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The Atriplex amnicola, often called river saltbush or swamp saltbush, is a unique type of shrub. It is part of the Amaranthaceae plant family. This plant grows naturally only in Western Australia. You can find it on the floodplains of the Murchison and Gascoyne Rivers.
About the River Saltbush
The river saltbush is a shrub with many branches. It can grow in different ways. Some plants spread low along the ground. Others stand tall and upright.
What it Looks Like
This plant can grow quite wide, up to four meters across. The upright plants can reach 2.5 meters high. Its branches often spread out and can even grow new roots. This is especially true for the plants that grow low to the ground.
The leaves of the river saltbush are a pretty bluish-green color. They are covered in tiny, shiny silver hairs. The leaves can be different sizes and shapes. But they are often shaped like a spear. They usually measure between one and three centimeters long.
How it Reproduces
River saltbush plants have separate male and female flowers. Male flowers are a purplish-green color. They grow in bunches at the ends of the branches. Female flowers usually grow in small groups. You can find them where the leaves meet the stems.
After flowering, the plant produces fruit. Each fruit is a hard, woody case. It is about five millimeters square. Inside each case, there is one single seed.
Special Abilities
The river saltbush is very good at living in salty places. It is often used in Australia to help fix areas with too much salt in the soil. When grown in salty soil, it survives and grows better than other saltbush plants.
It can also handle dry weather quite well. Once it is fully grown, it can even survive in flooded areas. Sheep really like to eat river saltbush. The plant recovers quickly after being grazed by animals. Studies have shown that meat from sheep that eat river saltbush has a lot of Vitamin E. It also tastes very good to people.
See also
In Spanish: River saltbush para niños
