Forage Plants of Australia. 63 



ORDER CHENOPODIACE^E. 



ATBIPLEX MUELLERI, BENTH. 



" Mueller's Saltbusb." 



Flora Austr., Vol. F, p. 175. 



Ax erect or spreading annual, \vith a woody base, often exceeding 2 feet in 

 height, more or less covered over with a mealy whiteness. Leaves on short 

 stalks, thin and variable, but mostly obovate or ovate, and from 1 to 2 inches 

 in length. The flowers are small and monoecious, arranged in axillary 

 clusters. The males surrounded by a few females in the upper axils, and 

 the females alone in the lower axils. The fruiting perianths are exceedingly 

 small, scarcely exceeding ^ of an inch in diameter. At figure 1 is illustrated 

 an enlarged drawing of one. This plant is distributed generally over the 

 interior of Australia, but it is not plentiful anywhere, and in some situations 

 it is becoming scarce. All kinds of herbivora are remarkably fond of 

 this plant, sheep particularly so, and they often browse it' down to the 

 ground, which of course prevents its seeding, thus destroying its only natural 

 means of reproduction in such quantities as it otherwise would do. When 

 left unmolested for a time, however, it produces moderately plentiful seed, 

 which germinate readily under ordinary conditions. This plant is well worthy 

 of conservation on the arid central plains of this continent, for it will grow 

 in the most adverse season of drought and heat, and would afford good 

 herbage when the native grasses are someAvhat dried up for want of rain. 

 In places where ordinary garden vegetables cannot be grown satisfactorily, 

 on account of hot winds and great heat during the summer mouths, this 

 plant might be cultivated to advantage, and used as a table esculent as a 

 substitute for spinach. The European orach (Atriplex horfensis^), which is 

 closely allied to this plant, is much cultivated on the Continent for the sake 

 of its leaves, which are boiled like spinach, and eaten, being also mixed with 

 sorrel to modify the acidity. The seeds of this plant should be sown in 

 September or October, and after rainfall if possible, but not when the 

 ground is unworkable. 



