Fourwing Saltbush

Atriplex canescens

Amaranthaceae

• Eastern Washington Native
• Sun
• 3'-6' tall x 4'-6' wide
• Drought Tolerant: Very High
• Evergreen: Semi-evergreen
• Flower: Yellow (June-August)
• Wildlife Value: Browse for deer, elk, antelope; seeds for birds and small mammals; nesting cover

Fourwing saltbush is a polymorphic, long-lived native shrub widely distributed across the western United States, east of the Cascade crest across Washington and south to California and east to the Great Plains. It is one of the most widely distributed and important native shrubs of western rangelands. Highly adaptable, it thrives in some of the harshest environments including salt-desert scrub, dry barren flats, slopes, washes, and alkaline bottoms from sea level to 8,000 feet elevation. This extremely drought and salt-tolerant species grows best in deep, well-drained loamy to sandy to gravelly soils, though it also tolerates dense clay and selenium-enriched soils.  An exceptionally deep taproot, reaching 20 feet or more where soils allow, makes it extraordinarily drought tolerant once established, though that same deep-rooting habit means young plants establish slowly and resent disturbance.

The shrub forms a rounded, densely branched mound, typically 3 to 6 feet tall and wide in cultivation (occasionally larger), clothed in narrow, silvery gray-green leaves finely covered in whitish hairs, a cool-toned, drought-adapted foliage that reads as a soft counterpoint to greener plants. The flowers themselves are small, yellowish, and wind-pollinated, appearing from June through August without showy petals. The real ornamental event comes from the fruit: female plants carry dense clusters of papery, four-winged seed cases that ripen to a warm tan or straw color and persist through fall and into winter, giving the plant its common name and a long season of textural interest. Note that fourwing saltbush is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, so the winged-fruit display appears only on females; plant several, or select female stock, to guarantee the effect. 

Fourwing saltbush is a workhorse habitat plant. Its highly nutritious seed is eaten extensively by birds and small mammals, and quail in particular use it for food, roosting, and shady cover. It provides valuable browse and standing winter forage for deer and other big game when snow buries other food, and it serves as a larval host for several butterflies and moths. Long used in reclamation and erosion control thanks to its deep roots and salt tolerance, it also functions as a living windbreak. Indigenous peoples of the West used the seeds as food and the ashy, saponin-rich foliage in various traditional ways.

Invaluable for erosion control, mine reclamation, and rehabilitation of saline sites and oil well reserve pits. Creates effective windbreaks, hedges, and privacy screens with its dense, wide growth habit. Useful for stabilizing soil in vulnerable areas and revegetating disturbed sitesIt belongs with other true xerics and steppe natives that share its need for lean, well-drained soil and full sun: rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), and Munro's globemallow (Sphaeralcea munroana). Keep it out of irrigated, richly amended beds.Severe pruning produces better specimens. Space 4-8 feet apart. Prune in late winter to maintain shape or rejuvenate plants.