shadscale Chenopodiaceae Atriplex confertifolia

Leaf:Evergreen or shedding leaves during the winter and during drought, alternate, oval to nearly round, entire, thickened, 1/2 inch long, silvery gray-green and scruffy, often very sparse, crushed leaves may smell "fishy".
Flower:Species is dioecious; inconspicuous, greenish, in axillary and terminal spikes, usually appear spring.
Fruit:Technically utricles, initially green ripening to pink and then light brown, 1/2 inch, clustered at the branch tips, with two round papery wings enclosing the seed, ripen in fall and persisting.
Twig:Slender, light gray, older stems rigid, sharp-pointed, with pale scruffy scales.
Bark:Light gray-brown, older stems can become coarsely irregularly furrowed.
Form:A small multi-stemmed rounded shrub to 3 feet tall and wide. Often in nearly pure "stands" or mixed with blackbrush.

leaf flower fruit twig bark form map

Notes: