Atriplex glabriuscula Babington's Orache

Atriplex glabriuscula, Babington's Orache, is a compact, procumbent, shortly-branched, mealy annual of sea shores. It is fairly typical of the sandy, strand-line habitats that occur at the extreme high water level on sandunes and shingle beaches. It can be very difficult to identify with certainty and may be confused with other oraches, particularly Long-stalked Orache (Atriplex longipes) as well as some hybrids that occur in similar habitats, (e.g Atriplex x taschereaui and Atriplex x gustafssoniana). Critically, in Babington's Orache, the relatively small bracteoles (usully less than 10mm) that enclose the fruit are not staked whereas Long-stalked Orache has some bracteoles that are large (up to 25mm) and they have distinct stalks that can be up to 25mm long or more. It is widespread and locally frequent along the coast of West Glamorgan.

Native