Atriplex Species, Mountain Spinach, Purple Orach, Red Orach
Atriplex hortensis
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Atriplex (AT-ry-pleks) (Info) |
| Species: | hortensis (hor-TEN-sis) (Info) |
| Synonym: | Atriplex acuminata |
| Synonym: | Atriplex atrosanguinea |
| Synonym: | Atriplex benghalensis |
| Synonym: | Atriplex heterantha |
| Synonym: | Atriplex microtheca |
View this plant in a gardenCategory:
Annuals
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Foliage Color:
Burgundy/Maroon
Height:
36-48 in. (90-120 cm)
Spacing:
12-15 in. (30-38 cm)
Hardiness:
Not Applicable
Where to Grow:
Suitable for growing in containers
Danger:
Bloom Color:
Red
Green
Inconspicuous/none
Bloom Characteristics:
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Mid Summer
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline)
Patent Information:
Propagation Methods:
From seed; germinate in a damp paper towel
Seed Collecting:
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Seaside, California
Sunol, California
Wahiawa, Hawaii
Twin Falls, Idaho
Bellaire, Michigan
Sheridan, Montana
Boise City, Oklahoma
Enterprise, Oregon
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
Austin, Texas
Payson, Utah
New Haven, Vermont
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On Mar 5, 2012, lizardbreath from Boise City, OK (Zone 6a) wrote: I planted this last year and have an explosion of babies coming up everywhere in my garden area already. It is a good thing my family loves these leaves in salad and will be harvesting all the young plants that are in places they don"t belong before we move on to the ones that have popped up in the beds made for them. |
| Positive | On Oct 8, 2011, mrstoad from Enterprise, OR wrote: Magenta Orach! This spectacular plant showed up one year in the soil near my roof's run -off, probably brought there as a seed by a migrating spring bird. Its deep redish purple leaves seemed almost neon and imediately caught my eye. I carefull saved the seeds that winter after noting it disliked being transplanted, and much to my delight as well as bewilderment, it sprang up every where as soon as the soil allowed. Since our area has numerous noxious weeds I was a bit apprehensive about its intrusive nature. But its color was so appealing and so unusual. I decided to keep my new arrival in check and under wraps showing it only to those who happened to peer over my fence. It was certainly an eye grabber. My husband found a picture of it - Magenta orach or mountain spinach, in Mother Earth... read more |
| Positive | On Apr 15, 2011, grovespirit from Sunset Valley, TX (Zone 9a) wrote: Ornamental edible. |
| Neutral | On Jul 30, 2010, AlanK from Calgary, OMG, I live in Calgary, Alberta, not famed for a fabulous climate and this plant grows like crazy. I would call it invasive if left unchecked. I just let it self seed in the fall and it starts coming up in March. The seedlings can survive our wild spring weather and will withstand below freezing weather, it's not uncommon for nighttime lows of -10C here in the spring. |
| Positive | On Jun 1, 2010, kiwi66 from Richmond, CA wrote: Besides being extremely pleasant to look at (trying to see what the 'flower' looks like I brought a 6-pack of this at East Bay Nursery in Berkeley, CA and man this thing is about 3 feet already in a half-wine barrel and I have eaten it and it is amazing... I am mad about spinach and this is apparently a spinach but it has 3X the amount of vitamin C and has a peppery taste... very pleasant, growing great... |
| Neutral | On May 16, 2008, MistyPetals from North Augusta, SC wrote: This plant is said to be easy to grow and grows to 3 feet in height. |
