Chenopodium nutans

Climbing Saltbush
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Subfamily:	Chenopodioideae
Tribe:	Atripliceae
Genus:	Chenopodium
Species:	C. nutans
Binomial name
	Chenopodium nutans; (R.Br) S.Fuentes & Borsch
Synonyms
	Einadia nutans (R.Br.) A. J. Scott; Rhagodia nutans R.Br.;

Chenopodium nutans^[1] (Syn Einadia nutans, Rhagodia nutans), known by its common name of Climbing Saltbush or Nodding Saltbush, is a climbing groundcover native to Australia.

Plants form a blanket on the surface, climbing over logs and up trees to a height of around 1 metre. Each plant grows to around one metre in diameter. The small leaves are semi-succulent, and have a distinctive arrowhead shape. They grow along long, vine-like branches spreading out form the centre of the plant. Both the leaves and the branches are of a light green colour.^[2]

Flowers are inconspicuous green balls, which form on top of terminal spikes during summer. These transform into very conspicuous, tiny, bright-red berries during early autumn.

Human uses

The plant was boiled along with other species of saltbush for use as a greens substitute by early European settlers in the Adelaide region.^[3] The plant is easily propagated, making it a particularly attractive and useful plant for revegetation projects. It has recently been enjoying increasing popularity as a garden plant, for its low maintenance, low water usage properties.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Guilhem Mansion, Thomas Borsch: Towards a species level tree of the globally diverse genus Chenopodium (Chenopodiaceae). In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Vol. 62, No. 1, 2012, ISSN 1055-7903, p. 372, DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.006
^ [http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:80/record=b1658722~S1 R "Plants of the Adelaide plains and hills"]. Library of South Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2011. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); line feed character in |url= at position 56 (help)
^ "The Native Plants of Adelaide". Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
^ "LOCAL PLANTS CONSERVED IN A MUNICIPAL GARDEN" (PDF). Burnside City Council. Retrieved 18 April 2011.

[Fuentes_2012-1] Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Guilhem Mansion, Thomas Borsch: Towards a species level tree of the globally diverse genus Chenopodium (Chenopodiaceae). In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Vol. 62, No. 1, 2012, ISSN 1055-7903, p. 372, DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.006

[2] [http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:80/record=b1658722~S1 R "Plants of the Adelaide plains and hills"]. Library of South Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2011. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); line feed character in |url= at position 56 (help)

[3] "The Native Plants of Adelaide". Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 21 March 2011.

[4] "LOCAL PLANTS CONSERVED IN A MUNICIPAL GARDEN" (PDF). Burnside City Council. Retrieved 18 April 2011.

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