Atriplex glabriuscula aka Long Stalked Orache

Atriplex glabriuscula is an annual known as Babington's orache. It belongs to the Amaranthaceae, the amaranth family. Its native range covers northern and western Europe's coasts. This includes Great Britain and Ireland, where it is native. Kew places it in the temperate climate zone. The RHS lists its name as unresolved. Plants For A Future notes a close link with Atriplex hastata. It suggests the two may belong to one species.

This small plant reaches about 1 foot (0.3 metres) tall. It grows on shores made of sand or gravel. There, it lives near the high-tide line or just above it. Its annual life cycle ends within a single growing season. Male and female flowers grow on the same plant. Each flower has only one sex, and wind carries the pollen. The flowering record gives July as the end month. It does not give a clear start month. Seeds ripen from August to September.

In cultivation, give this orache full sun rather than shade. It suits sandy or loamy soil that drains well. The soil need not be rich, and poor ground can suit it. Avoid making the soil too fertile. It grows in mildly acid, neutral, or alkaline soil. The species account also records tolerance of very alkaline and salty ground. It accepts dry or moist soil and can withstand drought. It also tolerates exposed coastal sites. These traits suit its place on the shore.

Plants For A Future lists it for growing in cultivated beds. Sow the seeds where they will grow in April or May. The source reports that seeds tend to sprout fast. This does not establish how fast the whole plant grows. Its small size leaves it low in a bed. Its tolerance of salt and coastal exposure may help in shore gardens. The supplied sources give no frost rating or hardiness zone. They also give no species-specific account of pests or diseases.

The young leaves are edible when cooked. The seeds have food uses too, including use in piñole. Ground seeds can thicken bread mixtures or join other flour. Plants For A Future gives its food value two out of five. It reports no known medicinal or other non-food uses. Its safety note warns about nitrate buildup in the leaves. This can occur when plants grow with artificial fertilisers. That warning matters when growing leaves for food. The source does not flag the species as a weed.