Atriplex canescens – “Four Wing Saltbush”

Also Known As: Shadscale
Family: Goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae)
Bloom Period: May-Jun
Form: Perennial Shrub
Habitat: Found widely on a variety of soil types
Leaves: Linear to oblanceolate; evergreen; alternate
Translation: “Atriplex” is the Latin name for plants in this genus; “canescens” is Latin for “covered with short gray hairs,” which describes the leaves
Notes: This plant is dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female plants. Pictured here is a male flower.
Native American Uses: This plant is an emetic (it induces vomiting), so it was rarely used as food, though the Gosiute ate the seeds in moderation and the Navajo used the flowers in pudding. The Navajo utilized its emetic properties to treat gastric pain and as a ceremonial medicine. The Havasupai and Kumeyaay made a lather from the leaves for soap and hair-washing. The Havasupai used this same lather to treat itches, rashes, measles and chickenpox. The Jemez, Navajo and Zuni treated ant bites with a poultice of the leaves. The Navajo rubbed the ashes of the leaves and stems into the scalp as a hair tonic. The Jemez threw leaves on fires to revive people who were faint or weak with the pungent smoke. The Isleta made arrowheads from the toxic wood, which had the double advantage of being poisoned and of breaking upon impact (so they could not be reused by the enemy). The Ramah treated coughs with a decoction of the leaves or roots, nasal trouble with a snuff of the leaves, and toothaches with a poultice of the root, pulverized and heated. They also used it as a spice: putting leaves on the coals of the cooking fire gave roasted corn a salty flavor. The twigs were used by the Hopi and Tewa as prayer sticks and by the Zuni in prayer plumes they sacrificed to the Cottontail Rabbit for success in hunting. The Hopi and Navajo extracted blue, yellow and red dyes from the ashes, leaves and twigs. The Hopi also used the ashes as a substitute for baking soda.
Animal Associations: Seeds eaten by the White-Tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel, Rock Squirrel and Mojave Ground Squirrel. Food plant for butterfly larvae, including the Western Pygmy-Blue, Saltybush Sootywing, MacNeill’s Sootywing, Mojave Sootywing. The larvae of the Sootywings make shelters of rolled leaves tied together with silk. This plant also hosts the larvae of the endangered San Emigdio Blue butterfly, which are protected by ants in exchange for the honeydew they secrete.