Use: Mat saltbush is grazed by sheep, particularly in summer and fall after other 

 forage has been used or has dried up. Poisoning may result when little else is eaten 

 (Hall and Clements 1923). This species has some potential for use in range restoration 

 and soil stabilization projects, particularly in the more saline-alkaline areas of the 

 West (McArthur and others 1974) . 



Atriplex cuneata (Castle Valley clover saltbush) 



Castle Valley clover saltbush is a low shrub with a more or less prostrate, woody, 

 much-branched base and erect branches (fig- 21). The light gray-green, spatulate to 

 broadly elliptic evergreen leaves are 2 to 6 cm long and 0.5 to 2.S cm wide (Hall and 

 Clements 1923) . 



This species is usually dioecious. Its yellow to brown staminate flowers are borne 

 in glomerules arranged in panicles. The pistillate flowers are borne in axillary 

 clusters and consist of pistils enclosed by wingless bracts. At maturity, the bracts 

 are 5 to 9 mm wide, irregularly toothed along their margins, and have numerous, flat- 

 tened, crestlike tubercles on their sides (fig. 7 and 22). 



Blooming occurs from mid-April to July, depending on elevation and on climatic 

 conditions. Ripening of the fruit follows about 7 weeks later (Hanson 1962). There 

 are about 81,660 cleaned, hammer-milled utricles of A. cuneata per pound (180/g) . 



Hybridization: Hanson (1962) reported that A. auneata is a highly variable species 

 that hybridizes with every perennial Atriplex it is sympatric with except A. obovata. 

 Included are A. canescens (fig. 10), A. confertifolia (fig. 17), A. corrugata, A. 

 garrettii, A. tridentata, and A. welshii. Atriplex cuneata has both diploid (2n = 18) 

 and tetraploid (2n = 36) populations (H. C. Stutz and C. L. Pope, personal communication). 



Figure 21 . --Castle Valley clover saltbush fAtriplex cuneataj from Emery County, UtoJi. 



17 



